Shoaib, Asif clear dope tests

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, the two Pakistan bowlers who returned positive dope tests last year, have cleared the latest tests held at the fitness and training camp in Karachi earlier this week.

"Akhtar and Asif are among 26 players who have cleared these tests for which we asked urgent reports from the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA] accredited laboratory in Malaysia," Ahsan Malik, the Pakistan board's director of communications, told AFP.

The PCB had ordered dope tests for all camp attendees and had decided to hold back naming the squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship until results were received. Both Shoaib and Asif were the focus of attention as they tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone and were handed bans last year which were overturned later.

Malik said the PCB had expected all tests to be negative in accordance with its zero tolerance policy on doping. He also said that three players - Younis Khan, Danish Kaneria and Yasir Arafat currently involved in county cricket - were tested in England and the samples were sent to the same WADA-accredited laboratory as the rest of the squad.

The third and final fitness and training camp with special emphasis on the forthcoming Twenty20 World Championship concludes on Monday with the squad announcement expected next week as well.