Asif asks for B sample to be tested
Mohammad Asif will ask for his sample B to be examined after he was confirmed as the player who tested positive for banned substance during the Indian Premier League, according to his lawyer, Shahid Karim
Cricinfo staff
15-Jul-2008
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Mohammad Asif will ask for his sample B to be examined after being identified as the player who tested positive for a banned substance during the Indian Premier League, his lawyer Shahid Karim said.
"We will fight the case because we believe that our client has not taken any drug so we will go for the B sample test and do whatever required to clear Asif's name," Karim told AFP.
It is possible Asif could be let off on a technicality because World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations dictate that the player's name should not be publicly disclosed until his 'B' sample is also analysed. Danish Zaheer, a medical expert, who was part of the tribunal that overturned Shoaib Akhtar and Asif's drug-related ban in 2006, criticised the IPL for violating the WADA regulations. "The IPL should not have made a public disclosure until Mohammad Asif's 'B' urine sample was checked in the presence of Asif or his legal and medical representative," said Zaheer.
The World Anti-Doping Code Article 7.2 gives the player the right to ask for his 'B' sample to be analysed while Article 14.2 says the player's name can be publicly disclosed "no earlier than the completion of the administrative review described in Articles 7.1 and 7.2".
"This deviation from the WADA regulation can now help Asif win his case in appeal if his medical and legal representative fought his case well," Zaheer said.
The IPL on Monday identified Asif as the player who tested positive during random drug testing during the Twenty20 event. Asif played eight of the Delhi Daredevil's 15 matches in the IPL, and shared the new ball alongside Glenn McGrath.
The Pakistan board has refused to assist Asif in the matter. This is Asif's second drug offence since failing a dope test before the Champions Trophy in 2006 and the board has warned that a life ban is possible if he is found guilty. Last month he was detained in Dubai for 19 days under suspicion of possessing a contraband substance and is already the subject of a board inquiry into those events.