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Islamabad: Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif could be cleared of his latest doping scandal due to a discrepancy in the concentrations of the prohibited steroid found in his two drug samples, a doping expert said on Wednesday.
Asif faces a ban of up to two years after the B sample of a drug test taken on May 30 tested positive on Tuesday at the World Anti-Doping Agency's laboratory in Switzerland.
"There is a major discrepancy in the two (urine) samples of Asif which came out positive, and in such cases, the player has a chance to be cleared," Dr. Danish Zaheer, president of the Sports Medicine Association of Pakistan, said.
Asif's lawyer Shahid Karim was quoted in The News newspaper as saying that the B sample's reading had 5.4mg of the steroid nandrolone, compared to the 6.2mg found in the A sample of the test taken while the player was contesting the Indian Premier League for the Delhi Daredevils.
"This is a lot of difference and I'm sure if his lawyer pursues the case, Asif has a chance to come out clean," Zaheer said.
The 25-year-old fast bowler was accompanied by his lawyer and medical expert Dr. Graham Durgan to Switzerland for results of the test's B sample.
"We will appeal to the IPL drug tribunal and point out the difference in the test results," Asif was quoted in The News on Wednesday. "I am hopeful of being cleared even now."
The IPL drug tribunal comprises former Indian test captain Sunil Gavaskar, Dr. Ravi Bapat and lawyer Shirish Gupte.
Zaheer said that even if the IPL rejected Asif's appeal, the fast bowler could proceed to the Court of Arbitration of Sports.
"I still remember that an Indian gold medalist athlete Sunita Rani had a similar case of varied readings at the Busan Asian Games in 2002, and she won her case at the CAS," Zaheer said.
Following the completion of the IPL season, Asif was detained in Dubai for weeks after airport authorities found him in possession of a prohibited substance. He was later released without charge.
In 2006, Asif and fellow Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar were pulled out of that year's Champions Trophy after both tested positive for nandrolone during internal testing by the PCB.
Zaheer was a member of appellate tribunal that eventually exonerated Asif and Akhtar in 2006. He is also vice president of the Asian Federation of Sports Medicine.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has distanced itself from Asif's latest doping case with chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi saying Tuesday that since Asif played in an
Indian domestic cricket event and was tested there, the PCB would agree with whatever decision the IPL takes.
The PCB has suspended the Asif from playing all forms of cricket and has dropped him from next month's Champions Trophy limited-overs tournament in Pakistan.
"Unless he clears himself from this doping case, he could
not represent Pakistan," Naghmi said.
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