ICC endorses WADA decision to appeal against lifting of bans on Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today endorsed the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) decision to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the lifting of the bans on Pakistan players Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif.

"WADA wishes to appeal against the decision reached by the Pakistan Cricket Board Anti-Doping Appeals Committee (PCB ADAC). The ICC acknowledges this position and, at the same time, reiterates its commitment to the WADA Code," said ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed.

"Our lawyers have examined the finding of the PCB ADAC and do not believe the ICC has a right of appeal but we will cooperate with WADA and provide it with any assistance it requires.

"The ICC and all our Members are committed to the pursuit of a drug-free sport, something we have made clear by testing players at our events since the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup in 2002.

"We are proud that since that time no player has tested positive for a banned substance at any of those events but that does not mean we are complacent when it comes to drugs.

"We have shown our commitment to the cause by signing the WADA Code this year and we will continue to show that commitment in the future.

"One way in which we will do that is by extending the scope of our testing to include target testing in the warm-up period ahead of our next event, the ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.

"Our Members have already committed to becoming WADA compliant by agreeing to our signing of the Code and we will use this issue to highlight the need for each of them to fulfil that obligation as soon as possible.

"We will continue to work with WADA on an ongoing basis as we maintain our course through its three-stage process to action the Code - acceptance, implementation and compliance.

"Similarly we will provide any assistance our Members may require in this area. A combination of all these actions will help to make our strong sport even stronger," added Mr Speed.

The two players, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif, tested positive for a banned substance in an internal PCB drug test prior to this year's ICC Champions Trophy.

A hearing convened by the PCB banned them for two years and one year respectively before the PCB ADAC overturned the bans.