Asif and Akhtar Positive for doping!

[manee]

Damn, I wanted to play as them in BLIC 07...fools!

 

[Kev]

I just made a thread of this and I've got a feeling someone just deleted it that quickly.

The news just appeared on Pakistani TV. And now I see also BBC is mentioning it.

This is pretty bad news. Pakistan can forget about winning the World Cup without these two guys.

All threads created in the cricket chat forum require moderator aproval before they appear. In this case I have not approved your thread as this one exists.

 

[GrayNicolls]

It's a shame that two superstars in the game can be stupid enough to do this. This is really bad news for the Pakistani cricket team as these players could really make a difference against anyone.

 

[ZexyZahid]

All threads created in the cricket chat forum require moderator aproval before they appear. In this case I have not approved your thread as this one exists.

Since when did that happen? I already made some threads without this approval.

I went to look upon the new top threads and I didn't see the topic with this, so I decided to make one. Till someone replied in this thread and hence I saw this thread. But no worry for me: I just wanted to pass on the news and that's already done by now.

 

[Kev]

Since when did that happen?

A couple of months I suppose, I forget exactly when.

 

[ZexyZahid]

Thanks for mentioning it.

Anyway this will give an opportunity for some Pakistani youngsters, who wanted to try to work up in the Pakistani team.

 

[andrew_nixon]

Just to correct Kev, it's the Cricket News forum where all threads require mod-approval.

 

[Kev]

Ooops, thats what I meant

Back to the topic in hand.

I find this bit interesting in the BBC article (link earlier in the thread)

Hamid said the panel showed a degree of leniency to Asif because he had little knowledge about performance-enhancing drugs.

"Asif stopped using them when his physiotherapist asked him to do so," he added.

So does that mean Akhtar is some kind of dugs expert or did he not stop when asked?

 

[Adarsh]

Does no one else find it strange that Shoaib gets a 2 year ban and Asif gets just one year for the same offence? Something tells me the PCB don't want ban Asif for too long in the prime of his form...

 

[s2sschan]

Asif banned for 1 year, akhtar for 2, just been on sky sports news, here it is on bbc sport

Might be the end of Shoaib's controversial career. Feel sorry for him. He's a very determined person though. Won't rule him out totally.

 

[BigCrickNan]

Nah I reckon thats Shoaib done from international cricket. He'll be 33 and be down to 85-6mph at most and without pace he isn't too much of a threat.

 

[puddleduck]

The main reason his career could be over is that he is hardly reknowned for being the hardest of workers. Fair enough that in the last year and a half he seems to have shaken that tag, but with nothing to play for in the next 2 years, will he be able to stay continually motivated?

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Akhthar is more experienced, and has been injured more. he should be able to realise if he is taking illegal drugs. Asif is new and it is the first time he is taking drugs for an injury, so he is being let off.

 

[Stephen Bailey]

I find this bit interesting in the BBC article (link earlier in the thread)

I find the comment utterly ridiculous. You're telling me a sportsman who is 23 and is playing for his country doesn't know that using performance enhancing drugs is wrong? Give me a break! Whether he did it himself, or someone gave to him without his knowledge is a different matter (although it is up to him to know what's going into his body). It is not a good enough reason for Asif getting a shorter ban than Shoaib.

 

[Bilal91]

well the question is why did they take it before such an important tournament and knew that they might be tested before it...i just find that ridicilous...Shoaibs career will probably be over...fell sorry for him but Asif is a young lad and will miss the first ever worldcup he was gonna be in...Pakistans chances of winning the WC have been reduced dramatically now...unless they find another superstart in the upcoming months but that is highly unlikley...