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Friday, July 3, 2009
England's bowlers in good shape for the Ashes
Birmingham (UK) : England's bowlers are in perfect shape for the Ashes.
Pace bowler James Anderson took five wickets, while left-arm spinner Monty Panesar claimed three victims and Andrew Flintoff two.
The preparation for the First Test showdown against Australia on Wednesday could not have gone more smoothly, reports The Sun.
They bowled out the Bears for just 102.
The only cloud was Kevin Pietersen's second failure - he was out for six to follow his dismissal for one in the first innings.
Andrew Strauss and Ravi Bopara made half-centuries and England will resume this morning with an overall lead of 373.
Anderson, who is also known as the "Burnley Express", said: "I feel as though I have everything under control. Things could not be better as far as the team is concerned and now we just want to get started."
"The balance in the attack feels brilliant. And, from the England Lions game, it's clear there are other seamers knocking on the door," he added.| Search Here For More Information : |
'Challenging' Sri Lanka series awaits Pak players: Afridi
Lahore : Pakistan all rounder Shahid Afridi has said that Sri Lanka Test series would be challenging for the players, as they would have to change gear from the Twenty20 format of the game to the five-day mode.
Afridi said players would also have to make adjustments due to the different and challenging weather conditions in Sri Lanka.
"The series in Sri Lanka would not be easy at all it will be a big challenge for our players to make successful adjustment from T20 cricket to Tests as well the different weather conditions," The News quoted Afridi, as saying.
Afridi, who would not be featuring in the Test matches, said he decided to skip the three Test matches to focus more on the One-day and T20 game during the series.
"As it is I have not played too much Test cricket in the last few years so I wanted to take a rest and prepare for the one-dayers in Sri Lanka," said Afridi.
Speculations are rife about Afridi captaining the team in the bang-bang version of the game after skipper Younis Khan's retirement, but Afridi said he is focused on the game and not thinking about captaincy much.
"I have never run after the captaincy. Just playing for Pakistan and seeing it win is a big enough bonus for me. I am not thinking about the captaincy at this stage. I have just started training for the One-Day series in Sri Lanka," he said.| Search Here For More Information : |
Lee in Ashes contention with five for against England Lions
Worcester (UK) : Speedster Brett Lee surged into Australia's Ashes attack contention with a devastating spell of reverse swing bowling against the England Lions.
The veteran pacer resurrected his Test career with a burst of 5-21 in 40 balls against the England Lions in the tour game at Worcester.
Lee sealed his place in the team for the Cardiff Test with 5-53 in 20 overs - his first five-wicket haul in England - and afterwards he said Australia had unlocked the secrets of reverse swing, which could hold the key to the series.
"Everyone stuck to their plans. We had a couple of different ideas we wanted to work on today, in particular the ball. We wanted to get the ball to swing early on, try and rough it up and get the ball to come back in later on. That worked a treat. I always enjoy bowling when the ball is like that," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Lee, as saying.| Search Here For More Information : |
Pak to host "home" series against Kiwis on neutral venue
Lahore : Pakistan would host New Zealand for three Tests and five one-day internationals on a neutral venue, after all efforts by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to relocate the 'home' series against Kiwis to New Zealand failed.
Sources said the PCB proposed hosting the series in New Zealand itself , but issues regarding television rights and sharing of revenues could not be sorted out with the New Zealand cricket officials
The PCB is now considering hosting the series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), The News reports.
The series is likely to be held in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in October-November this year| Search Here For More Information : |
Harmison warns of body targeting Aussies in Ashes
Worcester (UK) : Fast bowler Steve Harmison has warned that England's quicks plan to target the body of young Australian batting sensation Phillip Hughes during the Ashes series.
Harmison may not be in the England attack but he was happy to furnish fast-bowling colleagues such as Stuart Broad and James Anderson with information about the Australians, and in particular, their new opening batsman.
"It was probably an eye-opener for Hughes. He is a very good player. I've seen him on television, he's 20, averaging 60 for Australia in Test cricket. He is no mug," Harmison said after taking three wickets on the opening day in Worcester.
His approach to Hughes, who made runs in the first tour game against Sussex but twice lost his middle stump in that game, was to crowd him on the leg side and bowl at his body.
"England have got to be wary of him but if what happened today has unearthed an area where England can bowl at him, great," Harmison said.
Harmison also observed a change in the touring team's demeanour since he last encountered them in 2006-07 when Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer were still around.
"The one thing I picked up is they're not as confident or as brash as they normally are," Harmison said.
Mike Hussey, whose unbeaten century provided the Australians with some much-needed reassurance in the middle order, was adamant Hughes would survive the short stuff that is sure to come his way in the Ashes, and that he should trust the technique that has brought him such extraordinary early success.| Search Here For More Information : |
Now, Bari in "battle of egos" with Aamir Sohail
Lahore : The internal rift between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials is out in the open again, with the board's Director Human Resources, Wasim Bari serving a show cause notice to Director National Cricket Academy, Aamir Sohail.
Bari has asked Sohail to explain the reason behind his skipping a development course of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in London.
According to sources, Sohail skipped the ICC course due to his wife being ill, and sent his sub-ordinate Ali Zia instead, irking Bari.
Bari is particularly furious over Sohail's decision, as it was taken without the consent of any top official of the board, The Dawn reports.
Interestingly, it is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) who can serve notice to the directors and ask them to explain their position on a certain issue, and directors have no power to question each other.
It is believed that of late fissures have emerged between the PCB chief Ijaz Butt and the COO Salim Altaf, following which the later is not being consulted on any important issue.
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Muralitharan to miss first test against Pakistan
GALLE, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan has pulled out of the first test against Pakistan with a knee injury.
Muralitharan, who holds the record for the most test wickets, has injured his patella tendon. Selectors have called up off-spinner Suraj Mohamed and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath as cover for the opening test, which starts on Saturday.
Herath has been rushed back to Sri Lanka from England where he was playing club cricket while Mohamed took three wickets against Pakistan in a warm-up game this week.
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Muralitharan out of SL-Pakistan first test
A knee injury has forced spin great Muttiah Muralitharan out of Sri Lanka's side for the first cricket test against Pakistan starting at Galle on Saturday.
Captain Kumar Sangakkara said Friday that uncapped offspinner Suraj Kaluhalmulla and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath had been brought into the squad as potential replacements.
Sangakkara said Muralitharan felt discomfort in his knee during practice, but bowled on for a further 40 minutes.
"We took a precautionary scan...we were pretty confident that he was going to make it but the scan report said there was a slight tear, so the risk of his tarring his tendon in the first test match is very high," Sangakkara said.
"So I don't think we want to risk him getting injured and being out for a long period for the sake of one test match."
Sangakkara said the reduced bowling attack was still capable of beating Pakistan.
"Inexperienced? Yes. Great opportunity? Yes. And do they have the ability? Yes," Sangakkara said.
"It's going to exciting to see what they can offer us and also when you are desperate to play test cricket and get an opportunity like this you can see best of players."
The 24-year-old Kaluhalmulla who has just converted to Buddhism from Islam after being known as Suraj Mohamed, has taken 180 wickets in 50 matches during his first-class career.
Herath, 31, has long been on the fringes of the national team, playing 14 tests over 10 years with 36 wickets.
The test comes four months after a deadly terror attack on Sri Lanka's team in Pakistan. The terrorist ambush outside Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore killed six police officers and a driver and wounded seven Sri Lanka players. The team bus and security convoy was approaching the ground for the third day's play of the second test when more than a dozen men attacked.
The visiting team return to Colombo immediately and the tour was abandoned.
Sri Lanka batsman Thilan Samaraweera's rare feat of scoring consecutive double-hundreds was a highlight of the series along with Younis Khan's triple-hundred for Pakistan in the first test.
Samaraweera had a bullet lodged in his thigh in the attack, raising concern for his cricket future. But the bullet missed important tissues and ligaments in the leg, allowing him to make a comeback.
"He has made a good return to cricket," Sangakkara said of Samaraweera. "He has played in some practice matches. We are enthusiastically looking forward to see him play in the first test."
Opening batsman Tharanga Paranavitana, who sustained a chest wound in the attack, will also play his first international match since the attack. Of the other wounded players, Ajantha Mendis and Sangakkara had already played in the recent Twenty20 World Cup and the Indian Premier League.
Sri Lankan authorities are providing the two teams with security equal to that of a head of state, including restrictions on fans, who are banned from consuming alcohol or lighting firecrackers inside the venue at Galle.
Musical instruments are also banned, although there will be music at the ground, in keeping with cricket tradition in Sri Lanka.
The two sides have played 34 tests, with Pakistan winning 15 and losing seven. Pakistan has only lost one test in Sri Lanka, winning six and drawing five.
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IPL knocks Deodhar off BCCI calendar
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is proving costly for domestic tournaments conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). To accommodate the multi-million dollar league, the BCCI has decided to scrap the Deodhar Trophy for the 2009-10 season, after having cancelled the national T20 meet for the Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2008-09.
"The IPL is scheduled to start on March 18 and if we hold all our tournaments, the domestic season will spill over to April. That's why the Deodhar Trophy has been cancelled for this season," the BCCI's Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty told HT on Wednesday after a meeting of the BCCI Tour Programme and Fixtures Committee.
The Deodhar Trophy has been a prominent fixture in BCCI's annual calendar for 36 seasons from 1973-74. Named after the forefather of Indian cricket, Prof D.B. Deodhar, it traditionally featured the five zones. In the 2008-09 edition in Cuttack, a Zimbabwe XI became the first foreign team to take part in it, which increased the number of teams to six.
"Because of the IPL we couldn't hold the national T20 meet last season and after having brought it back into the calendar this time, we can't find space for the Deodhar Trophy, given that the IPL has been scheduled for March next year," Shetty added.
Also, the Mohammad Nissar Trophy match between the domestic champions of India and Pakistan has been withheld. This was understandable as it was Pakistan's turn to host the fourth edition of the one-off first-class fixture. The previous matches were held in Dharamshala (2006-07), Karachi (2007-08) and Delhi (2008-09).
ODI venues decided The venues and dates for Australia's tour of India for seven ODIs in October-November have been decided. However, the final schedule would be decided after the logistics are worked out.
Guwahati and Delhi get to stage ODIs as matches allotted to them last year (England-India ODIs) were cancelled following the terror attacks in Mumbai. The other five venues - Mohali, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Jaipur and Mumbai - get to stage the ODIs on the rotation policy. The first ODI would be played on October 25 with the other dates being October 28, 31, November 2, 5, 8 and 11.
First corporate meet South Zone will be the venue for the first BCCI Corporate Trophy from September 1 to 8. Twelve teams split into three groups will vie for the trophy in the league-cum-knockout event.
One-dayers for women The BCCI has also decided to do away with the national two-day meet for women, their equivalent of Ranji Trophy. For the next three seasons, there will only be one-dayers and T20 for women.
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Pakistan fines Asif over Dubai opium arrest
The Pakistan Cricket Board has fined fast bowler Mohammad Asif rupees 1 million ($12,250) for possessing a small amount of opium in Dubai last year, a PCB official said Thursday.
"Asif has accepted our decision and he feels he had made a mistake," chief of the inquiry committee Wasim Bari told the AP.
The cricket board constituted a committee, headed by Bari, to look into Asif's 19-day detention in Dubai last June when 0.24 grams of opium was found in his wallet at the airport.
Dubai elected not to pursue charges against him despite the presence of the drug. Asif claimed he did not know there was opium in what he claimed was a herbal remedy used to boost energy.
Bari said Asif failed to prove in front of the inquiry that he was not deported from the United Arab Emirates.
"It was our committee's unanimous decision that Asif should be handed a financial penalty as we took a number of things into account before deciding the penalty," Bari said.
In another incident, Asif was banned for a year by the Indian Premier League in September when he tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone during the tournament.
His suspension ends before this year's Champions Trophy in South Africa and the PCB has said it will consider the 26-year-old fast bowler for selection when the ban expires.
In 2006, Asif was suspended for a year by the PCB after testing positive for nandrolone, but the ban was overturned on appeal.
The fast bowler has taken 51 wickets from 11 tests, and claimed 36 dismissals from 31 one-day internationals.
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Pakistan challenges Sri Lanka for fourth place in Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table
Dubai, July 2 (ANI): Following victory over Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 2009 at Lord's last month, Pakistan aims to carry that momentum into the three-Test series against Sri Lanka starting at Galle on Saturday as it targets fourth place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table.
Pakistan currently sits in sixth place on 100 ratings points, one ratings point behind fifth-placed England and eight ratings points behind fourth-placed Sri Lanka.
However, a 1-0 or 2-1 series win for Younus Khan's side will be enough to put it on 105 ratings points alongside Sri Lanka but ahead of Kumar Sangakkara's side when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
The following are the scenarios:
If Pakistan wins the series 1-0 or 2-1, it will join Sri Lanka on 105 ratings points but it will be placed ahead of Sri Lanka in fourth position by a fraction of a point
If Pakistan wins the series 2-0, it will go into fourth position on 107 rating points while Sri Lanka will slip to 103 ratings points
If Pakistan wins the series 3-0, it will jump to 109 ratings points while Sri Lanka will drop to 102 ratings points
- If the series ends in a 1-1 draw, Pakistan will join England on 101 ratings points but will be placed ahead of England in fifth place by a fraction of point while Sri Lanka will go to 107 ratings points
If Sri Lanka wins the series 1-0, it will go to 110 ratings points while Pakistan will drop to 97 ratings points
If Sri Lanka wins the series 2-0, it will go to 111 ratings points while Pakistan will drop to 95 ratings points
If Sri Lanka wins the series 3-0, it will go to 113 ratings points, just four ratings points behind third-placed India, while Pakistan will slip to 93 ratings points and just eight ratings points ahead of seventh-placed the West Indies
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, Younus Khan is in number-one position and will be aiming to become the 25th batsman in history to reach the 900-point mark.
The 31-year-old right-handed batsman is just 20 points short of becoming the second Pakistan batsman after Mohammd Yousuf to achieve the rare distinction.
Younus had first gone to the top of the batting chart after scoring 313 against Sri Lanka in Karachi in February before regaining the number-one position from Shivanarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies in May.
Conversely, if Younus fails to perform to his high standards and at the same time second-placed Kumar Sangakkara excels with the bat, there is a possibility that there might be a change at the top of the order as 26 points separates the two elegant and stylish batsmen.
The other batsmen from either side in the top 20 and aiming for an upward movement are Mahela Jayawardena and Thilan Samaraweera who currently occupy sixth position and 19th positions respectively while just outside the top 20 are Tillakaratne Dilshan (24th), Kamran Akmal (28th) and Misbah-ul-Haq (30th).
Mohammad Yousuf, who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy as the 2007 Cricketer of the Year at the LG ICC Awards in Johannesburg, is set to return to the batting rankings in the top five. If he performs well with the bat, he will go to third position or even higher.
Yousuf was second when he was removed from the rankings table along with Abdul Razzaq early in 2009 as Pakistan had not played a Test match since before the qualification date for the rankings. A player loses one per cent of his points for each Test that he misses for his country and his ratings are still calculated even when he does not appear in the rankings.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Player Rankings for bowlers, Sri Lanka's iconic spinner Muttiah Muralidaran is just ahead of South Africa's Dale Steyn and will be hoping to extend the advantage over the Proteas' fast bowler.
With just 11 points separating the two bowlers, Steyn can regain the number-one position he last held in April 2008 if Muralidaran fails to put up a strong performance in the first Test.
Umar Gul is the highest-ranked Pakistan bowler in 14th spot with leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in 19th position.
Sri Lanka's spin sensation Ajantha Mendis is in 25th position and has a good chance of breaking into the top 20 for the first time in his career even though he is still in the rankings qualification period for bowlers. A bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets and the 24-year-old from Moratuwa has so far taken 34 wickets in six Tests.
South Africa's Jacques Kallis leads the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Player Rankings for all-rounders, followed by Johnson in second and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori in third.| Search Here For More Information : |
Pakistan board fines Asif after Dubai detention
KARACHI (Reuters) - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has fined pace bowler Mohammad Asif one million rupees ($10,250) for bringing Pakistan into disrepute, after he was detained in Dubai last year for possessing opium.
However, Asif would be considered for the Champions Trophy in South Africa starting on Sept. 24, after he had completed a 12-month ban for a positive dope test, a senior board official told Reuters on Thursday.
"The probe committee that examined his 19-day detention in Dubai last year in June has found he had violated the code of conduct and brought the country into disrepute," Salim Altaf, chief operating officer, said. "That is why he has been fined one million rupees."
Asif, who has played 11 tests and 31 one-day internationals, was banned last September after testing positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone while playing for the Delhi Daredevils team in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He was detained in Dubai while returning from India after a small amount of opium was found on him. He was then deported to Pakistan without the authorities pressing criminal charges.
"We don't see any reason to keep him out of cricket once his ban ends," Altaf said. "As far as his Dubai detention case is concerned he has been fined for that."
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Pakistan unhappy with long-term schedule
Pakistan is unhappy with the lack of matches allocated to it under the International Cricket Council's Future Tours Program beginning in 2012, a top Pakistan Cricket Board official said Thursday.
"We have some strong reservations which we told the ICC in its previous meeting in London last month," PCB's chief operating officer Salim Altaf told the AP.
"We want the ICC to re-evaluate its FTP and the game's governing body has assured us that it will debate on the issue before finalizing it's 2012-2018 programme."
Altaf, who attended the ICC's meeting, did not say how many matches Pakistan was allocated or against which opposition, in the proposed FTP.
Many countries have expressed security concerns about sending teams to tour Pakistan.
The ICC last year shifted the Champions Trophy from Pakistan to South Africa. Pakistan remains a co-hosting nation for the 2011 World Cup but will have to play its matches outside Pakistan.
The ever-growing security concerns meant Pakistan could not host a single test match last year despite hosting weaker opponents Bangladesh and Zimbabwe for one-day series and also organizing the Asia Cup one-day series.
This year, Sri Lanka had to abort its March test tour to Pakistan when gunmen attacked the visitors' bus and security detail, killing six police and a van driver.
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Rejuvenated Indian team ready to relaunch West Indies campaign
Gros Islet (St Lucia), July 2 (IANS) The four-day break could serve as a fresh impetus for the travel-weary Indian cricket team to relaunch their West Indies campaign in the last two one-day internationals slated for Friday and Sunday.
Both teams are locked 1-1 in the four match ODI series and the Beausejour Cricket Ground is all set to host the last two ODIs of the series.
The West Indies have certainly been the better team in the first two matches at Sabina Park in Kingston. They threatened to chase a target of 340 runs in the first ODI before India managed to pull it off just in time for a 20-run victory. The visitors won the second ODI with a comfortable eight wicket victory to draw level. It could have been worse for India, but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's dogged 95 saved the team from falling below-100.
In both matches, there was nothing to suggest that it is the same Indian team that won 15 of their 18 previous matches before arriving in the Caribbean. Barring Yuvraj Singh, who stroked a brilliant 100 in the first ODI, and Dhoni, the rest of the batting line-up lacked application to tackle either swinging or short pitched deliveries.
West Indies and England bowlers exposed Indian batsmen's weakness against short bowling in the World Twenty20 where Dhoni's outfit were out of the Super Eights after losing to these two teams.
West Indies effected the same plan to good use through fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Ravi Pampaul in the second ODI.
Dinesh Karthik, who is filling the opener's slot in absence of injured Virender Sehwag, is still to make a mark while his partner Gautam Gambhir's purple patch is over and looks clearly out of sorts.
Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja are also struggling and that has put more pressure on Yuvraj and Dhoni to first resurrect the innings and then launch an attack.
The bowling attack also need to get its act together as the West Indies came dangerously close to chase a 300 plus target in the first match.
For West Indies, skipper Chris Gayle's form is heartening. In the second ODI, his blitz knock dashed hopes of any comeback of the Indian team.
Their new ball bowlers Taylor and Rampaul have found that the Indian batsmen are vulnerable to short-pitched deliveries.
But Dhoni has already warned his boys to watch out for these two fast bowlers and the break will see whether the Indian team has found any new strategy to tackle them.
West Indies: Chris Gayle (captain), Denesh Ramdin, Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard Jr, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Runako Morton, Ravi Rampaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor.
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Subramaniam Badrinath, Gautam Gambhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Murali Vijay.
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PCB fines Asif over Dubai misadventure
Karachi, July 2 (IANS) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has imposed a fine of Rs.1 million on bowler Mohammad Asif over his Dubai misadventure.
A three-man probe committee set up by the PCB decided Thursday to impose the fine on Asif, who was detained in Dubai for 19 days for alleged possession of drugs at the Dubai airport last summer.
Asif, 26, was detained last June on his way back home after playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The probe committee headed by former Pakistan captain and PCB director Wasim Bari investigated the matter.
A PCB media statement said Thursday that Asif was fined on the recommendation of the probe committee and will be available for national selection once he completes his one-year ban imposed by the IPL for failing a dope test.
'On recommendation of the committee we have fined Asif one million rupees,' said the statement.
Dubai authorities found opium in Asif's possession, but a prosecutor determined that the quantity was small and deported the bowler.
Asif is also banned from playing international cricket until September after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone last year.
The lanky fast bowler is currently training hard in a bid to make a successful international comeback at this September's ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.
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PCB fines Asif for Dubai drugs detention
Lahore, July 2 (ANI): Pakistani cricket authorities on Thursday fined Mohammad Asif one million rupees (12,500 dollars) over the fast bowler's 19-day detention at Dubai airport for alleged drug possession.
Asif, 26, was detained last June on his way back home after playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
A three-member Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) committee headed by former captain and PCB director Wasim Bari investigated the matter.
"On recommendation of the committee we have fined Asif one million rupees," the PCB said in a press release.
Dubai authorities found opium in Asif's possession, but a prosecutor determined that the quantity was small and deported the bowler, The News reports.
Asif is also banned from playing international cricket until September after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid Nandrolone last year.
"Asif will be available for selection once he completes the IPL ban," said the release.
The fast bowler also tested positive for Nandrolone during tests conducted by the PCB in 2006. He and fellow bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who failed the test too, were banned for one and two years respectively.| Search Here For More Information : |
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