PCB hopes WADA appeal will be dismissed

The Pak Board is confident that the appeal filed against the exoneration of fast bowlers - Shoaib and Asif - from doping charges will be rejected in CAS.

Pakistan Cricket Board is confident that the Court of Arbitration for Sports would dismiss the appeal filed by the World Anti-Doping Agency against the exoneration of fast bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif from doping charges.

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"We have challenged the right of WADA to appeal against what is an internal matter of the board and a doping case which was decided by the internal anti-doping regulations of the board in which WADA cannot interfere," PCB Chairman Dr Naseem Ashraf said.

PCB lawyers in England are preparing a detailed statement which will be submitted to the CAS.

"We have said it time and again that the doping case of Shoaib and Asif has been handled efficiently by us according to our anti-doping regulations. We are not signatories to WADA and the two bowlers tested positive in out of competition tests and not in any ICC tournament," he said.

CAS has asked the PCB to submit its reply to the appeal and is set to hear out the arguments of both parties later this month.

Ashraf said their legal advisors are of the view that CAS would not entertain the WADA challenge and dismiss their appeal as inadmissable.

Ashraf also made it clear that if any player picked in the World Cup probables list test positive before the tournament, he would not be selected for the event.

"No matter who the player is, he would be out of reckoning. That is why we are carrying out the dope tests."

He said both Shoaib and Asif were selected for the South Africa tour on the advice of the board's legal advisors.
 
"We asked them (legal advisors) after they were cleared if they should be considered for selection and they said since there were no more doping charges against them they should be selected in the first instance so that the issue is over once for all from our side," Ashraf said.

Ashraf maintained that even if any Pakistani player test positive while action would be taken against him but under the PCB anti-doping regulations and WADA and the ICC would have nothing to do with it.