Sources: Drug ban from PCB could be from 3 months to 2 years

[sharuk]

SOME may suggest Shoaib Akhtar's cricketing career has been one long dress rehearsal for an entry into the acting world. And should Pakistan's three-man drugs tribunal ban the veteran of 42 Tests and 133 one-dayers for six months - rubbing him out of the Champions Trophy and the World Cup - that may prove to be the case.

The Pakistan Cricket Board is expected to name a three-man panel, consisting of a former player (presumably not Imran Khan), a doctor (presumably not Akhtar's) and a lawyer (see doctor), to hear the case into Akhtar and fast-bowling partner Mohammad Asif, both of whom tested positive to nandrolone.

The panel will then decide on a punishment - sources in Pakistan suggesting the likely ban could be between three and six months, although it could extend to two years. The PCB chairman, Nasim Ashraf, last night said his board took a zero-tolerance approach to drugs but added the players' B samples would be tested before their fates were decided.

Should the ban extend to six months, thus ruling Akhtar out of the Champions Trophy and the World Cup, many fear Akhtar will be lost to cricket, aged 31.

Not noted for his devotion to training, Akhtar seems to be an outside chance, at best, of resuming his career beyond the World Cup, especially considering his creaky back and troublesome hamstring.

The next step, then, could well be a shift into acting. Just last year, Akhtar turned down a leading role in the successful Bollywood film Gangsters after being approached by high-profile producer Mahesh Bhatt. One of his closest friends in India, Salman Khan, is a Bollywood heart-throb and one of Indian film's biggest drawcards. And Akhtar's new agent is understood to be a former model with links to the acting world.

On the surface, a move into acting does not seem a major leap for Akhtar, who has made as many headlines for his activities off the field as his performances on it. On his latest tour of Australia with the Pakistan team, Akhtar was spotted in nightclubs across the country, invariably in glamorous company, while he was said to be battling back and hamstring injuries.

Last year, it was much the same in England, when injury ruled Akhtar out of Worcestershire's tour match against Australia, only for the fast bowler to show up in several of Worcester's premier nightspots. Again, no guesses as to the aesthetic calibre of the company he was keeping.

Akhtar has even begun trading off this image. In a recent Pepsi commercial on Pakistani television, he is depicted rushing back from a nightclub - at which he was in glamorous company, of course - to the team hotel on a motorcycle. Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, though, catches his fast bowler out on account of a lipstick stain on a cup by his bed. Real life, it seems, makes for the best stories.

And Akhtar would certainly bring credible real-life experience to any movie role, having played through the match-fixing affair that resulted in several teammates receiving life bans, then played out a career that has lurched from front page to back in a manner only Shane Warne can truly appreciate.

Bhatt, in approaching Akhtar for the role of Daya, a charismatic criminal on the run in Mauritius, Dubai and Seoul, in Gangsters last year, described the "Rawalpindi Express" as a flamboyant and emotional man with animal magnetism and "the vulnerability of a child". Even without the benefit of watching a screen test, his Pakistan teammates would almost certainly agree, having charted his nine-year international career.

Take this comment from Ramiz Raja, a former player and PCB chief executive writing in Pakistan's The Nation newspaper on Tuesday.

"If it only had been Shoaib Akhtar [testing positive], I would have straight away given the guilty verdict for he has on many an occasion kept his self-interest and fitness regimen ahead of the team's interest," Raja wrote.

Other former players, including Imran and Javed Miandad, were critical of the positive results being made public.

"I have been saying that all the ills of Pakistan cricket are due to lack of discipline," Javed said. "This shows we have not recovered from the first-ever forfeit-Test jolt, the ball-tampering allegations and the captaincy row."

But is it too late to save Akhtar's career, if not from suspension then from his own apathy and outside interests? Time will tell. But one thing seems certain - he is sure to meet Brett Lee, his old Mosman teammate, again, either on the field or on a Bollywood set; the Australian also a target of Indian directors.


http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/bollywood-beckons-for-banned-akhtar/2006/10/17/1160850932662.html?page=2

[shan]

lol just 3 months

[sharuk]

lol just 3 months

I think Asif might get 3 months with Akhtar getting 1 year

[Disco_Lemonade]

noo... asif 3 month and akhtar 6 months. thats it. we arnt Aussies ok.

[pakistani pride]

No both 3 months !

[Hussain]

yup 3 months ach for both will serve the purpose

[kablooee87]

yup 3 months ach for both will serve the purpose

if these were Indian cricketers would you be thinking the same thing? Don't even try and convince me that you would.

[shikari]

3 months max, the PCB will fabricate this whole story on how Dr. tauseef razzak gave shoaib this rubbing cream for his kness which caused it :)

[Amjid Javed]

3-6 months would be seen as a cop out by the rest of the cricketing world!

if guilty both should be made to miss World cup as the point about taking drugs has to be hammered home!

[Luton Bad Boy]

It is really important to post drivel from other websites, which are running their own rumours about what could or could not happen to Shoaib.

So Shoaib is banned for 2 years.......someone else will step up and take the mantle.....but, Pakistan as a country has lost some of its integrity, but, after winning today has finally got some redemption for the turbelent weeks they have been going through.

[Daoud]

3-6 months would be seen as a cop out by the rest of the cricketing world!

if guilty both should be made to miss World cup as the point about taking drugs has to be hammered home!
Exactly. As much as I want to believe they were ignorant, that really wont cut as an excuse, and they'll both be getting more than 3 months in all likelyhood

[Nauman]

What purpose would it serve, just tell me one thing would all of you be satisfied if it was Irfan Pathan who was caught and got away with a 3 to 6 month ban? If they are guilty then the ban should be same as what Warne got.

[Noman]

only 3 month..

[Hash]

If they did not deliberately take the drug then what would banning them for a year and ending Shoaib's career achieve? Absolutely nothing.

Therefore if the tribunal finds that they did not knowingly take the substance or that it entered their urine through some other means (eg, eating loads of red meat) then they should be banned for not being careful, not for cheating.

A 3 month ban in such a scenario would suffice.

If however the tribunal finds that they did knowingly and deliberately take the drug, I would have to say a 1-2 year ban would be acceptable.

[cavin420]

someone please explain this to me, how on earth can a drug , improve a cricketer's, especially a bowlers , performance ?

[Sage]

if it was deliberate,
2 yr ban

if it was not deliberate but the result of irresponsibility
1 yr ban

cavin,
it was most likely administered by a trainer to help both asif and akhtar rush their injury recovery

[cavin420]

if it was deliberate,
2 yr ban

if it was not deliberate but the result of irresponsibility
1 yr ban

cavin,
it was most likely administered by a trainer to help both asif and akhtar rush their injury recovery

Punish the Phuck** Trainer then !

[Big Daddy]

What purpose would it serve, just tell me one thing would all of you be satisfied if it was Irfan Pathan who was caught and got away with a 3 to 6 month ban? If they are guilty then the ban should be same as what Warne got.

on what count. warne was caught the day before their worldcup campaign, a months ban was enough to see him out of the worldcup equation. Secondly its people like you, with the defeatest mentality, which the people higher up the food chain feed upon. As long as we have people like you trying to make examples of our own kind , bliss will never be us. note it down

[Easa]

If they did not deliberately take the drug then what would banning them for a year and ending Shoaib's career achieve? Absolutely nothing.

Therefore if the tribunal finds that they did not knowingly take the substance or that it entered their urine through some other means (eg, eating loads of red meat) then they should be banned for not being careful, not for cheating.

A 3 month ban in such a scenario would suffice.

If however the tribunal finds that they did knowingly and deliberately take the drug, I would have to say a 1-2 year ban would be acceptable.

Most sensible post in this thread, I concur.

[UsmanhailsAfridi]

3-6 months would be seen as a cop out by the rest of the cricketing world!

if guilty both should be made to miss World cup as the point about taking drugs has to be hammered home!

Amjad you sometimes come off that you know everything....tell me how is it their fault if they unknowingly took this...if your doctor prescribes a medicine to you do you go and read the ingredients...i never have ....heck he is the doctor....

this is PAKISTAN....there will be case ...lawyers will prove that asif/aktar didnt know bout it....month/ 3month ban max...to make sure these 2 go to south africa to play....n THAT IS IT

lets please not take our own guys and make example of this kind of an incident....lets not make our own players scapegoats....

FLINTOFF is back so early from injury...wasn't he suppose to miss ashes....who says he didnt intentionally take steriods...but his board will never do that to him....there are better way to approach this stuff....NOT THE Way PCB Is doing...the typical ARMY mentality

[infamous9383]

I doubt if PCB will give them more than 4 months because they don't want them to miss the WC.

[KaSaNoVa_G]

let them both share the 3 months between them lol !!!

[Rob H]

I hear all of this stuff about "intention" but how can you depict if they actually meant to take the drugs or not. In my view a 3 month ban is no more than a slap on this wrist and shows the rest of the cricketing world that you can get away with cheating. Shane Warne still protests he didn't know about the stuff in the "slimming pills" he took but he was punished with a year ban. Now as much as i'd love to believe Akhtar and Asif if they deny it there isn't much of an argument to be lenient to them if found guilty. I would give a 1 year ban to them personally.

[Amjid Javed]

Amjad you sometimes come off that you know everything....tell me how is it their fault if they unknowingly took this...if your doctor prescribes a medicine to you do you go and read the ingredients...i never have ....heck he is the doctor....


1st of all i dont go round claiming i know all, i state my opinion so please get youre facts right!

2ndly lets not be so nieve! i said "if found guilty" they should be banned for long time! lets not forget that fact.

If you think akthar and asif are straight forward blokes who do nothing dodgy or haram then your kidding yourself!

[UsmanhailsAfridi]

1st of all i dont go round claiming i know all, i state my opinion so please get youre facts right!

2ndly lets not be so nieve! i said "if found guilty" they should be banned for long time! lets not forget that fact.

If you think akthar and asif are straight forward blokes who do nothing dodgy or haram then your kidding yourself!


cheif no body is saying that they are all angels....but i dont agree with making an example out of them....PCB handled this the wrong way....we know they dont take care for their players....i mean akthtar yea...but yaar they ruined Asif's career...the one highlight of Pakistan cricket in the past 2-3 years....


and please those giving Warne's example....please stop....we are talking about pakistan cricket here...this isn't an ICC case....so lets not bring the 'angelic' Australian stories to the table and start comparing them with this incident

[UsmanhailsAfridi]

I hear all of this stuff about "intention" but how can you depict if they actually meant to take the drugs or not. In my view a 3 month ban is no more than a slap on this wrist and shows the rest of the cricketing world that you can get away with cheating. Shane Warne still protests he didn't know about the stuff in the "slimming pills" he took but he was punished with a year ban. Now as much as i'd love to believe Akhtar and Asif if they deny it there isn't much of an argument to be lenient to them if found guilty. I would give a 1 year ban to them personally.

Pakistan cricket and more or less South Asain cricket has been screwed with for the past 50 yrs by the 'White' brand of cricket....we are like the cricket wh**es of the cricket world....

What happ with Asif and shoaib is wrong...but heck how do i know if botham...magrath....flintoff...peiterson dont take this stuff.....let me tell you as i am raised in America...this steriod stuff is part of the culture in the advanced world....there is a big problem in this part of the world....in Pakistan ppl dont even know about this stuff....

the bottom line is ICC wasn't ever proactive bout steriod testing....n PCB just took it onto themselves....fine them...make a bold statment so all the players know it...do regular testing and this problem will be controlled....but dont make scapegoats out of our stars for the sake of world cricket.....

we are already handicapped enough bc of our skin color to let this cripple us any more

[Hash]

I hear all of this stuff about "intention" but how can you depict if they actually meant to take the drugs or not. In my view a 3 month ban is no more than a slap on this wrist and shows the rest of the cricketing world that you can get away with cheating. Shane Warne still protests he didn't know about the stuff in the "slimming pills" he took but he was punished with a year ban. Now as much as i'd love to believe Akhtar and Asif if they deny it there isn't much of an argument to be lenient to them if found guilty. I would give a 1 year ban to them personally.

Just because the Aussies do something doesn't mean we have to follow it.

The PCB should make their own decision, independent of any influence from the ICC, ACB or Darrell Hair.

[JammydodgA]

let them both share the 3 months between them lol !!!


here here! :19:

[PlanetPakistan]

1 year ban to both....don't care if they have to miss the world cup yet there is this report

"Nandrolone is normally taken under medical supervision as it is used in injectable form but recent theories suggest this substance is naturally produced in athletes' bodies," Zaheer told AFP. "Both players can claim that they have bodies that normally produce such banned substances more than the prescribed quantity - that is a possible theory."

but i doubt that's the case here

[Rob H]

we are already handicapped enough bc of our skin color to let this cripple us any more
"we have people testing positive for drugs, lets blame it on our skin colour"

You must be so naive to think this. The players have to take responsibility for what they take and dont take. I bet if a person came up to them with a drink they'd check it wasn't full of poison or alcoholic before they drank it. The same applies with any substances.

[Schiller]

shud we punish simply bcuz they took drugs? is that punishable by itself? it aint like they played when they were on them drugs

[w4s1m786]

why make an example of them when it will effect Pakistan Cricket in the long run, i dont think shoiab would have taken any sort of rugs as he is in his peak he would not risk it inshallah him and Asif will get away with it

[safehands46]

Shoaib will be done for sure. but he always has acting to fall back on.

[waqar_ahmad]

totally depends on how nandrolone got in doesnt it. If the players' lawyers can prove that they didnt deliberately use the substance, then a short ban of about 3 months would do. if it is proved that they deliberately took it, then the penalty should be much harsh

[waqar_ahmad]

I hear all of this stuff about "intention" but how can you depict if they actually meant to take the drugs or not. In my view a 3 month ban is no more than a slap on this wrist and shows the rest of the cricketing world that you can get away with cheating. Shane Warne still protests he didn't know about the stuff in the "slimming pills" he took but he was punished with a year ban. Now as much as i'd love to believe Akhtar and Asif if they deny it there isn't much of an argument to be lenient to them if found guilty. I would give a 1 year ban to them personally.

the aussies also tried to hide that Mark waugh and warne were invloved in match fixing. DO u think pakistan shouls do the same? Doing what the the aussies do is not a yardstick, they r not always right

[Nauman]

on what count. warne was caught the day before their worldcup campaign, a months ban was enough to see him out of the worldcup equation. Secondly its people like you, with the defeatest mentality, which the people higher up the food chain feed upon. As long as we have people like you trying to make examples of our own kind , bliss will never be us. note it down
Then please dont expect justice in future, if you cant do justice to yourself then dont expect it from others.

[UsmanhailsAfridi]

this substance nandrolene can be produced excessively naturally in your body....so wat then.....the problem here is basically this new Chairman....he thinks he is the ****....moron Army people....they just want to dictate....not a week in office and he pulled these 2 out....n now watch how this will become such a massive scandal for PCB....son this is PAKISTAN....we dont ban our national hereos so that they miss the world cup

[UsmanhailsAfridi]

and rest assured those of you with this 'honesty' speech about how sportsmen shouldn't take banned substance....2 things here.....yes i am with you when you say these things should be banned...but such is the absurdity of these rules is that things like creatine aren't banned but if you take creatine dont you gain that extra power....heck you might put on 15 lbs in a matter of month....and all muscle...but its all legal bc creatine is natural in the body

but so is nandorlene...but an access of this is wrong.....its funny how some of these rules are set....these pakistani players probably are clueless about what is allowed and what is not....the lack of orginaztion on PCB and ICC's part is gonna effect the carier of these two ....its not their fault...its the fault of the ICC for not taking an active part...why only test some players...test all there are only like 140 cricketers in 8 squads....test them all...set dates....that way players will be more aware of what they take....

[Mutazalzaluzzaman Tarar]

Then please dont expect justice in future, if you cant do justice to yourself then dont expect it from others.

when has there been justice in cricket anyway? on the last Australian tour, the umpiring decisions went 29-5 against us. on our England tour, we got royally screwed by the umpires. and I'm not even talking about the ball-tampering fiasco. Ponting behaves like a two year old with umpires every opportunity he gets. yet who is at the top of the ICC hit list? Inzi, Ganguly, etc.

even in the matchfixing scandal, I think it is little more than a pathetic joke that warne and Waugh were giving "pitch and weather information" to bookies. are they kidding us? similarly Alec Stewart's name was mentioned so many times and now he yaps about the spirit of the game. only India, Pakistan and South Africa banned players. so, where is the justice?

we're used to being stiffed by the ICC establishment. and I don't expect "justice" from them. therefore, we should dispense justice that suits us.

[UsmanhailsAfridi]

when has there been justice in cricket anyway? on the last Australian tour, the umpiring decisions went 29-5 against us. on our England tour, we got royally screwed by the umpires. and I'm not even talking about the ball-tampering fiasco. Ponting behaves like a two year old with umpires every opportunity he gets. yet who is at the top of the ICC hit list? Inzi, Ganguly, etc.

even in the matchfixing scandal, I think it is little more than a pathetic joke that warne and Waugh were giving "pitch and weather information" to bookies. are they kidding us? similarly Alec Stewart's name was mentioned so many times and now he yaps about the spirit of the game. only India, Pakistan and South Africa banned players. so, where is the justice?

we're used to being stiffed by the ICC establishment. and I don't expect "justice" from them. therefore, we should dispense justice that suits us.

spot on brother....no need to be the messiah of cricket....cricket has over come bigger issues....it will overcome this...shoaib will come back and smash this 'honest' ponies in the face with beamers...grrrrrrrrrrrr

[khanpuria]

when has there been justice in cricket anyway? on the last Australian tour, the umpiring decisions went 29-5 against us. on our England tour, we got royally screwed by the umpires. and I'm not even talking about the ball-tampering fiasco. Ponting behaves like a two year old with umpires every opportunity he gets. yet who is at the top of the ICC hit list? Inzi, Ganguly, etc.

even in the matchfixing scandal, I think it is little more than a pathetic joke that warne and Waugh were giving "pitch and weather information" to bookies. are they kidding us? similarly Alec Stewart's name was mentioned so many times and now he yaps about the spirit of the game. only India, Pakistan and South Africa banned players. so, where is the justice?

we're used to being stiffed by the ICC establishment. and I don't expect "justice" from them. therefore, we should dispense justice that suits us.


POTW again

[qasim722]

Just because the Aussies do something doesn't mean we have to follow it.

The PCB should make their own decision, independent of any influence from the ICC, ACB or Darrell Hair.
Cheeta. :19:

[smoothcriminal]

One year ban, plain and simple. Big loss for our team, but it will only be fair. And those of you who're saying on how they might have unintentionally taken those drugs, that doesn't matter. Shane Warne till this day says those drugs were involuntary actions, but he got a ban of 1 year. This fine should be NO different. end of story.

[cavin420]

Both the players have said they are innocent and did not knowingly take any performance enhancing substance.

While Shoaib has claimed in his column for a cricket portal that he is no cheat, Asif has also given similar comments. The lanky medium pacer said he relies totally on line and length and doesn’t need any extra power to bring an improvement in his performance.

The PCB is to announce a three-member tribunal to decide the bowlers’ fate. The committee is to include a former Test player, a doctor and a lawyer. There have been strong speculations that Intikhab Alam, a former Pakistan Test skipper, who has also served as the national team’s coach, could be appointed on the tribunal.

The tribunal is to hear out the players concerned and carry out its investigations before recommending a punishment for them.

The chances of the pacers escaping a ban, however, appear dim following the positive tests.

Medical experts believe the duo stands a remote chance of avoiding punishment, a glimmer of hope that springs from the fact that nandrolone is naturally produced in the body and sometimes a high protein diet and intensive physical activity can result in an athlete failing a test for the banned substance.

“Heavy exercises and high protein diets can result in increased nandrolone levels in athlete’s body,” says Pakistan Sports Medicine Association (SMAP) secretary Dr Pervez Rizvi. “The cricketers can claim that they naturally have high levels of nandrolone, something that can be justified by sports science,” he said.

But Rizvi was quick to point out that it all depends on the levels of nandrolone found in their urine samples.

Rizvi, a sports medicine specialist who was an anti-doping official at this summer’s South Asian Games in Colombo, said the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) would be monitoring the doping scandal in Pakistan. “As the international doping watchdog, WADA can step in if the Pakistani cricket authorities did not manage to handle the matter properly.”

Rizvi said the PCB, national cricketers and other national sportspersons should benefit from the know-how, SMAP has about doping.

[cavin420]

source : http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=28730

[Genghis]

One year ban, plain and simple. Big loss for our team, but it will only be fair. And those of you who're saying on how they might have unintentionally taken those drugs, that doesn't matter. Shane Warne till this day says those drugs were involuntary actions, but he got a ban of 1 year. This fine should be NO different. end of story.

I agree. NO PLAYER IS GREATER THAN THE TEAM.

Why should we be making excuses for Shoaib and Asif, if they are guilty. If they have taken anything knowingly, then they should be banned for at least 1 year no questions asked. If this was an Indian player, I am sure 95% of us here would be saying ... ban them for good, but because it is our two strike bowlers all of a sudden we really need them, so we'll let them off this time. What a joke!!! The fact that a World Cup is around the corner should not have anything to do with the decision. It is not about sucking up to Australian cricket board or ICC, but it is about principle and fairness. Something I hope is still part of Pakistani cricket.

If you do the crime, you do the time!!!

[Bilz]

Nonetheless, Pakistan should assume the worst case scenario of Asif/Akthar not coming back; we should not rely on anything subjective and be objective by creating ourselves a new bowling approach! Pakistan has a strong line of pace bowlers, I say we bring the best ones in line to India - as well as solidify our current bowlers.