Mohammad Asif gets clean chit, to fly home soon

Dubai, Jun 4: All charges against the right-arm seamer Mohammad Asif, who was detained at the Dubai International Airport for allegedly possessing drugs, have been dropped and he is set to fly out from here soon.

Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ahsan Ullah Khan said Asif was detained,''because of some misunderstanding which had been cleared''. Khan told the 'Dawn' that the seamer will be leaving for Pakistan by the next available flight. ''The cricketer will be released soon and will take the first available flight for Pakistan,'' he said. The 25-year-old, who played in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Delhi Daredevils, was arrested on June 2 while returning to Pakistan from Mumbai via Dubai.

According to Dubai customs officials, Asif was caught with 0.24 gm of an illegal substance in his wallet. This substance was also sent for laboratory tests.

Asif has been named in the Pakistan team to play in the triangular series against India and hosts Bangladesh which starts from June 8.

UNI