Asif to pursue appeal against ICC ban

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan seamer, has said he would pursue an appeal against the seven-year ban imposed on him by the ICC for spot-fixing. The ban (the last two years of which are suspended) was imposed on him for accepting money to bowl no-balls in the Lord's Test against England in 2010.

"I had filed the appeal when I was banned by the ICC (in February 2011) and now I have decided to pursue my appeal through my counsel Ravi Gill and hope that a date is given to me very soon," Asif told AFP.

In November, 2011, he was sentenced to one year in prison by the Southwark Crown Court for cheating and conspiracy due to the same. Although he was released in May after serving half of the term, he has yet to return to Pakistan. Team-mates Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt, both of whom have been released, were sentenced for six months and 30 months respectively.

Asif played 23 Tests, claiming 106 wickets at an average of 24.36, before his career was cut short due to the criminal proceedings. He said his appeal against the ban in the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had been put on hold due to the criminal proceedings against him in England.

He said he had participated in a club match on Monday, and was practicing hard to bring his career back on track.

"I hope that I will get a fair result from the CAS and then hopefully able to revive my career," Asif said.

"If I don't get an early date then I will return to Pakistan and whenever I get a date then I will go to Switzerland. It has been a tough period, without cricket and away from home but I am sure it's going to be over soon."