Asif pleads innocence before PCB committee

Mohammad Asif has pleaded his innocence before a PCB fact-finding committee looking into his 19-day detention at Dubai airport from June 1 to 19 for alleged possession of an illegal substance. Asif returned to Pakistan after Dubai's public prosecutor dropped the case against him on the grounds that it was"insignificant".

"We heard Asif's version on the issue today," Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer and a member of the committee, told The News in Lahore. "I will not go into the details of the hearing but basically Asif has pleaded his innocence. However, we will go through all the aspects before preparing our report."

Nagmi said the committee is likely to submit its findings to the board on Monday, after which Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, is set to announce whether any action has to be taken against Asif.

Asif is currently under suspension for testing positive for a banned substance during random dope testing at the Indian Premier League, where he played for the Delhi Daredevils. He is due to appear before an IPL tribunal to face those charges and is likely to face some punishment from his home board thereafter.