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    The Shoaib and Asif farce

    By Will last year, at the start of March Leave a comment on this post

    I’ve been out of action for a few days drinking my bodyweight and trying to ignore the fact I’m now closer to 30 than 20. Not to mention a flurry of “you’re halfway to 50 you old bastard” texts.

    What better way to cure my groggy mind than to understand the Shoaib and Asif affair?

    “The truth is both of them are injured and they may take even months to make a full recovery,” Nasim Ashraf said, with fingers, arms and legs firmly crossed. “The board’s medical panel will soon check them out but the chances of them recovering quickly from their injuries is very bleak.”

    Complete and utter farce. But they’re not banned, they’re injured. Just in case you forget.

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    17 Responses to “The Shoaib and Asif farce”

  • Omar Haq wrote:
    March 1st, 2007 at 9.32 pm

    As a Pakistani cricket blogger, I don’t even know where to start, since so many people seem to be at fault. Its embarassing as hell, and the country, once again, is the laughing stock of the cricketing world.

    It’s quite plain to see that the PCB is just protecting its players rather being fair and forthright.

    Asif and Shoaib should have had the balls to get their drug test over and done with and taken their punishment like men.

    This is ridiculous and its making the country look incredibly shady.

  • Tom (Aus) wrote:
    March 1st, 2007 at 10.03 pm

    What really annoys me over the scandal is the inaction of the ICC and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).

    The men tested positive to steriods!

    Is it suddenly acceptable that they continue to play the sport with a known advantage such as drugs?

    Around the world there stands a zero tolerance against doping, and both the ICC and WADA have the authority, and obligation to cricket, to step in a deal with the matter.

    Whatever faith I had left in the ICC was lost over this scandal. The way it comes off is that seems anything involving the Asian bloc is ‘too sensitive’ to handle for the ICC.

  • Omar Haq wrote:
    March 1st, 2007 at 10.13 pm

    Makes sense. No board should be allowed to internalize a matter so sensitive to the sport as drugs.

    The PCB should be given a pat on the back for being one of the first boards to drug test their players. However, they should be given a kick in the ass for their inability to enforce the ban.

    Atleast Pakistani cricket is, one again, stretching the boundaries of what is and what is not allowed. This whole whole scandal will stir up WADA and ICC to enforce rules and regulations that are above the policies of every board.

    Do players get suspended or banned by WADA? ICC has a loose defination of banned. They ‘ban’ players for 4 games (such as Afridi last month). However that is just a suspension.

    Does WADA ban or suspend athletes for illegal drug use?

  • Tom (Aus) wrote:
    March 1st, 2007 at 10.27 pm

    They way I understand it, an agreement exists which has been signed by all major sporting leagues, including international cricket, around the world. The agreement states ruling bodies will uphold the regulations and punishments of WADA. Bans for several years are the norm.

    Having said this, the ICC has a written obligation to enforce these rules, yet they’ve been silent for a few months now.

  • Ollie wrote:
    March 2nd, 2007 at 1.13 am

    Those little niggles were pretty handy! I think the chap over at Line and Length called this one - a nice excuse to get out of drugs testing.

  • Leithj wrote:
    March 2nd, 2007 at 2.17 am

    It’s probably Darrell Hair’s fault

  • Patrick Kidd wrote:
    March 2nd, 2007 at 9.51 am

    Ollie, thanks for the plug!

    Will, many happy returns. Don’t feel too down about creeping into your second quarter-century. It’s when you find yourself older than the entire England team that you need to start feeling depressed. In which case (and I never thought I’d write this) thank heavens for Paul Nixon!

  • glamorous-organ wrote:
    March 2nd, 2007 at 10.18 am

    Will, SHAPE UP!

    You’re less than half my age.

    Just you wait boy.

  • Kathy wrote:
    March 2nd, 2007 at 10.50 am

    Yeah, Will, you’re so damned young, it’s shocking. Stop whinging about how old you are. When all the cricketers are younger than you, then you can start whinging about your decline into decrepitude.

  • Zainub wrote:
    March 2nd, 2007 at 12.19 pm

    I agree with Omer about how this has put Pakistan in bad light, and yes it’s extremely embarrassing, even more so because the PCB’s actions are not endorsed by the majority of the followers of the game here. But I have no time for any pat on the backs for the PCB. Yes they took the initiative of carrying out internal dope tests, and that was something no one else has done, but the way they have handled everything subsequently, show how committed they really are to keeping the sport drug free. They’ve lost any respect I might have had for them for their initiative.

    And it’s a myth that all countries are signed to the WADA regulations, there are loopholes in the regulations the PCB have taken advantage of one of those, by calling all this a personal matter, which it is clearly not. If they play with these drugs in their bodies, that gives them an unfair advantage and clearly makes it everyone’s matter.

    I just hope the PCB are made to pay for their horrible cover up attempt by not being allowed to get replacements for Shoaib. It is being reported now that the ICC have sought medical evidence for Shoaib and Asif’s injuries before they can give a clearance for their replacement, but given how toothless the ICC are themselves, I’m not putting too much into that either. Altogether its one horrible mess, and everyone, from the players themselves, to the PCB, the ICC and even WADA are responsible. They should all be ashamed of themselves.

  • John Draycott wrote:
    March 2nd, 2007 at 3.51 pm

    Omar:

    “This is ridiculous and its making the country look incredibly shady.”

    Making the country LOOK incredibly SHADY?

    Say what? Surely it’s a matter of national honour, as IMZY kept telling us…

    John

  • Shahid Afridi Fan wrote:
    March 4th, 2007 at 8.22 pm

    making the country look shady?
    that is hilarious.. as if there’s any more room for pak to get any shadier..

  • Omar Haq wrote:
    March 4th, 2007 at 10.18 pm

    John Draycott, Not sure what you mean. Who’s Imzy? I assume you mean Inzamam. Anyway, they aren’t playing this World Cup and they will surely be tested by the ICC next time they are up for selection. The matter can be laid to rest till then.

    Shahid Afridi fan: Thanks for the generalization. You’re right and I agree that the country itself has a bunch of issues, but since this is a cricket blog, perhaps we can narrow our criticism to cricket alone?

    WRT cricket, the PCB will protect its players. All boards do that. I don’t agree with their approach this time around. However, in cricketing matters, the the Pakistan cricket board has not done anything untoward in the eyes of the international community before this. So yes, this singular event is making the process look shady.

  • Amit Bajaj wrote:
    March 4th, 2007 at 10.58 pm

    It’s easy castigating the PCB at this moment..yes, they are most probably at fault. But I think it’s getting so blown up simply because it’s Pakistan. Remember this guy called Shane Warne (of the mom’s pills fame?). He just retired with all respect intact. Mark Waugh got away with some match-fixing thing completely..I know i have this habit of converting everything into a blacks vs whites case, but what do i do…there is so much of empirical evidence to back-up my case!!
    ****
    ps:Cricket needs more of Warnies and Akhtars, else it will lose all its charms. Sachin Tendulkar is nice, but he is too boring!!

  • marcus wrote:
    March 5th, 2007 at 12.23 am

    Amit Bajaj

    Shane Warne only got 1 year instead of 2, which he should have gotten, but it’s still one year more than Shoaib and Asif did. If they just lived with the bans, came back and performed well for a few more years- in short, if the PCB didn’t involve them in this ridiculous cover up- then they too would have retired with all respect intact. (Maybe not Shoaib, but definitely Asif.)

    As for your other cases, Warne and Waugh only provided pitch and weather information to a bookie. Players like Azharuddin took bribes to throw matches, which is why he got a lifelong ban. (So did Cronje, by the way- you remember, the White South African?) In short, Warne and Waugh got away with it because their offences weren’t nearly as serious- and in any case, that was Warne’s first offence and Waugh’s only one.

    Sorry, but your empirical evidence is starting to look pretty shady.

  • Lee wrote:
    May 9th, 2007 at 4.16 am

    marcus said: “Shane Warne only got 1 year instead of 2″

    At least he WAS banned and the ban wasn’t overturned. You can also bet your bottom dollar, that if it had been overturned, WADA would of stepped in immediately and overturned the ban.

    Omar Haq said:
    “However, in cricketing matters, the the Pakistan cricket board has not done anything untoward in the eyes of the international community before this”

    You are joking aren’t you??

    “Anyway, they aren’t playing this World Cup and they will surely be tested by the ICC next time they are up for selection. The matter can be laid to rest till then.”
    Wrong again. Still no testing and they’re in the team.
    Disgraceful.

  • Omar Haq wrote:
    May 9th, 2007 at 7.45 pm

    Lee,

    “Omar Haq said:
    “However, in cricketing matters, the the Pakistan cricket board has not done anything untoward in the eyes of the international community before this”

    You are joking aren’t you??”

    No, I’m not joking. Let’s hear it. What have they done?

    ““Anyway, they aren’t playing this World Cup and they will surely be tested by the ICC next time they are up for selection. The matter can be laid to rest till then.”
    Wrong again. Still no testing and they’re in the team.
    Disgraceful.”

    Well. I was hoping they would get tested again and get banned. Read my blog. I was bloody happy when they got banned and damn pissed when the ban got overturned. Obviously the nandrolone has probably left Asif’s system. I agree with you here though, this is definitely a disgrace…

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