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The tribunal investigating doping charges against leading Pakistan pacemen — Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif — is caught between a rock and a hard place.

Led by well-known lawyer Shahid Hamid, the three-man tribunal, formed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), is expected to reach a verdict in the next couple of days but any decision it takes would surely attract more controversy.

Shoaib and Asif were withdrawn from Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy squad on October 16 after testing positive for nandrolone, a banned steroid clandestinely used by some athletes to enhance performance.

According to International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, there is an automatic ban of two years for a first doping offence.

But the tribunal, which will hold its final hearing today at the PCB headquarters in Lahore, is unlikely to see ICC rules as any yardstick.

They have the option of slapping a comparatively lighter ban since the fast bowlers were caught through tests that were carried out by the PCB internally.

With the 2007 World Cup just four months away, a vast majority in Pakistan is hoping the tribunal would find a way to punish the players in a manner that they are still able to feature in the all-important contest to be held in March-April.

Shoaib and Asif are linchpins of the Pakistan bowling attack and without them the national team crashed to an embarrassing exit from the Champions Trophy in India. Even a six-month ban would rule the duo out of the World Cup and could prove to be a fatal blow for Pakistan’s chances in the tournament.

Though the PCB chief Dr Nasim Ashraf and Shahid Hamid have made it clear that the doping scandal would not end with any popular decision, rumours have been circulating that the tribunal might come out with a lean punishment for the bowlers.

A source in the PCB confided in this correspondent by saying there is an option to ban the players for a specific number of matches and a hefty ban to allow their participation in the World Cup.

Pakistan are to feature in six Tests and ten one-dayers against the West Indies and South Africa at home and abroad ahead of the World Cup.

The tribunal, if it is convinced that the players did take the drug unintentionally, can ban the duo for the best part of the pre-World Cup period.

But it is a difficult decision because there is a possibility that the ICC or the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) might not agree with such a penalty. WADA’s rules clearly state that an athlete is guilty if he or she tests positive for any banned substance unless a ‘B’ sample proves otherwise. Whether it was intentional is a question that doesn’t matter. A positive urine test is all that takes for an athlete to get a substantial ban.

Shoaib and Asif have already accepted the result of their dope test which means that the option of testing their ‘B’ samples is not available to them. The only thing that seems sure is that the players would be punished.

Sources in the PCB say that the pacers’ names are not included in the probable list for the home series against the West Indies which makes it clear that they would be banned. The only point of debate is the length of the ban.

A decision on it is expected today when the tribunal would grill Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer and two other members of his support staff.

After the hearing, the tribunal would announce its findings following consultations with top PCB officials including its chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf.

Shahid Hamid is expected to meet Nasim in Lahore this evening to brief him about the tribunal’s recommendations.
Source:The News

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