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Pakistan’s recent cricketing problems continued on Monday when Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were recalled from the Champions Trophy in India after they tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

The following is a chronology of events that have hit the side since August.

* Aug 20: England are awarded the fourth and final Test of their home series against Pakistan at The Oval after the tourists forfeit the match in the wake of a ball-tampering row.

Pakistan refused to return to the field for the final session of the fourth day after umpires Darrel Hair and Billy Doctrove had earlier imposed a five-run penalty against them for altering the state of the ball.

* Sept 29: Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is cleared of ball tampering by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after a two-day hearing in London, but is banned for four One-day Internationals (ODIs) for bringing the game into disrepute. The ban means Inzamam misses the Oct-Nov Champions Trophy tournament in India.

* Oct 5: Inzamam’s deputy Younis Khan steps down as interim skipper for the tournament, saying he did not want to be a “dummy” captain as well as in protest against the attitude of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials.

* Oct 7: PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan resigns from his post in the wake of The Oval Test fiasco and Younis’s decision to step down. Khan is replaced by government advisor Naseem Ashraf, who convinces Younis to return as captain for the Champions Trophy.

* Oct 16: On the eve of their opening match, Pakistan send home fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif from the Champions Trophy in India after the pair test positive for the banned steroid nandrolone. Both player face bans of up to two years if a second test confirms the positive result.
Source:The News