PCB mulling dope test for squad bound for T20 World Cup

Lahore, July 12 (UNI) Learning the lesson well from the doping fiasco involving pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, the PCB is planning to conduct internal dope tests on the players included in Pakistan's preliminary squad for the Twenty20 World Cup to be played in South Africa in September.

A PCB official said told 'The News' that the Board was seriously considering the idea of carrying out dope tests on all the 30 players in the provisional squad later this month.

The two fast bowlers, who have been included in the Twenty20 probables, failed a drug test last September and missed the World Cup where Pakistan were knocked out in the opening round following a shock defeat against Irish rookies.

The official conceded that the doping scandal caused a lot of discomfiture to Pakistan cricket which was why the PCB planned to make sure that this kind of incidents did not happen again.

Although the PCB finally managed to bury the doping stigma and the pacers were given a clean chit following an order from the Court for Arbitration of Sport (CAS) but the incidents seriously dented the image of Pakistan cricket.

The final decision on whether to conduct internal dope tests ahead of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup would be taken by the PCB ad-hoc committee which meets in Karachi on July 16, the official said.

UNI