Cricket-Sami, Arafat to join Pakistan squad

ST AUGUSTINE, Trinidad, Mar 6 (Reuters) Fast bowlers Mohammad Sami and Yasir Arafat were on their way to the Caribbean to join Pakistan's World Cup squad, an official said today.

Although Pakistan have yet to receive clearance from the International Cricket Council (ICC) on whether the pair would be allowed to replace the injured Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, the team want the players in town as soon as possible.

''Sami and Arafat are on a flight to the West Indies,'' Pakistan media manager Pervez Jamil Mir told Reuters.

''We expect the ICC to clear them soon but we don't anticipate any problems because it is the ICC itself that is making all the arrangements for the players.'' After testing positive for nandrolone last October, Shoaib was banned for two years and Asif for one year by a drugs inquiry tribunal. An appellate panel of the board later exonerated them of doping charges and lifted the suspensions.

The incident led to the Pakistan board holding in-house dope tests for the players and reserves in the World Cup squad.

All the players appeared and passed the tests except Shoaib and Asif, who were being treated for their injuries in Britain.

Sources within the board said the decision to drop the players might have come as a result of an unusually strong statement about doping issued by the ICC.

The PCB denied the suggestions and opted to release the medical reports of the two players and forwarded the findings to the ICC.

The commission reported that Shoaib had an injured left knee and left hamstring, while Asif had a right elbow problem.

Reuters SP VP0010