LAHORE, Nov 1: Pakistan’s top fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were banned from international and domestic cricket for failing a drugs test, according to a ruling of the Pakistan Cricket Board doping tribunal.

Shoaib will serve a two-year ban and Asif will be unable to play for one year after testing positive for nandrolone, a banned steroid.

“After a thorough inquiry, we feel they failed to prove their innocence,” said tribunal chairman Shahid Hamid.

The three-member tribunal, headed by Barrister Shahid Hamid with former Test captain Intikhab Alam and dope test expert Dr Waqar Ahmed as its members, announced a detailed 19-page judgment.

Both players have a right of appeal, but the PCB has accepted the panel’s decision.

The test reports of Shoaib and Asif’s were found positive after the PCB had carried out dope tests with 19 Pakistan players ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy-2006. The quantity of the banned substance in Asif’s sample was 13.07 nanograms/ml, while in Shoaib’s sample it was 14.06ng/ml which was much higher than the maximum limit of 2 ng/ml recommended by WADA. The two pacers were subsequently suspended and called back from India on Oct 15.

According the tribunal ruling, the ban will come into effect from Oct 15, the date on which the two players were suspended by the PCB.

The tribunal took the view that Shoaib had knowingly taken the banned substance while it showed a degree of leniency to Asif because he had little knowledge about performance-enhancing drugs.

“Shoaib failed to give any justification about the circumstances for which he has been using the banned substance and thus will face a minimum ban of two years,” said Shahid.

“Asif receives less punishment as his case comes under a clause of the WADA’s policy of exceptional circumstances and no significant fault or negligence, under which the minimum ban is for one year,” Shahid said while announcing the detailed judgment on Wednesday night.

“We are helpless and our hands are tied, we have to slap this ban since the commission has followed the PCB’s anti-doping policies which are accepted by the WADA,” Shahid, flanked by Intikhab and Waqar said at a crowded press conference.

According to the decision, “both the fast bowlers are banned from selection to represent Pakistan in international competitions. They are also banned from competing in any event and competition conducted under the jurisdiction or the auspices of the PCB or any unit.

“They are ineligible to receive direct or indirect funding or assistance from the PCB or any affiliated units. They are banned from holding (or continuing to hold) any position in the PCB. They shall remain on Pakistan Olympic Association register of athletes for the purpose of out-of-competition testing.”

“Shoaib and Asif have been informed and advised of their rights to appeal and review,” Shahid said.

He added that both were eligible to ask the commission to review the decision in seven days while also having the right to approach the PCB Appeal Committee in 30 days against the decision.

“We gave full chance to both the players to defend themselves and, after a thorough inquiry, the commission feels they failed to prove their innocence,” Shahid said.

“It has also been approved that the process of collecting the samples was right and the process to send it to the Malaysian labs was also done according to the WADA’s rules and regulations and both the players had no objection against all the practice,” he said.

Disclosing details, Shahid said Shoaib pleaded that he had been taking a high protein diet and protein supplements since 1999. “He claims that his high protein intake over the years has caused his body to produce an excessive quantity of nandrolone in his system, well above the prescribed limit of 2ng/ml.”

“The medical experts who appeared before us stated categorically that levels of this metabolite as high as the level found in Shoaib’s urine sample (14.06 ng/ml) are not possible to be produced within the body,” Shahid said.

He said Shoaib had made a wrong claim that he was neither aware of the list of banned substances nor the fact that nandrolone was a steroid and a banned substance because he had been tested on two previous occasions, once before the 2003 World Cup by the PCB and then in August 2004 by the ICC, and the results were negative.

He said when Shoaib was asked which nutritional supplements he had been taking during the last six months, his answer was T-BOMB II, Promax-50 and Viper and that he had obtained these supplements from Fleximuscle, London, and from his friends.

Shoaib admitted that he had never informed the team coach/ physiotherapist or the PCB medical advisor about the supplements, vitamins and herbal medicines that he had been taking because they had never asked him and none of these were banned items.

Shahid said Shoaib had a claim that he had never seen the list of prohibited substances published by the WADA or its Athlete Guide, which according to the Anti-Doping Commission Officer, Dr Sohail Saleem, and the team physiotherapist, were given to the players prior to the England tour in August 2006.

Shahid said all the players had also been bound through the central contract with the PCB, to avoid banned medicines.

Shoaib, who has not signed the contract for the current year, has also been taking isotonic solutions and herbal medicines since 2002 but denied that he had taken any banned substance. He also presented a written report about his diet and medical history as part of his statement.

Shahid rubbished Shoaib’s claim that he had been using all medicines including the herbal ones on his own wisdom or on the advices of his friend without consulting any doctor or ‘hakeem’.

“It is not possible because the bowler has been injury-prone and he has been enjoying a special permission from the PCB of taking his private doctor with him on tour,” said Shahid.

Shahid said Shoaib also rejected an offer made to him by the commission for a GC-C-IRMS test, which could determine whether or not the given levels of the metabolite had been produced as self-function of the body or otherwise.

About Asif’s case, Shahid said it was somewhat different from Shoaib with regards to the level of his responsibility. “Asif became a regular member of the Pakistan team in March, 2006. He was not tested previously. It is not shown that he was ever present at any lecture or session with regard to the Anti Doping Regulations or list of prohibited substances.

“There is some doubt whether he was even handed over the WADA 2006 list of prohibited substances and the WADA Athlete Guide prior to the departure of the team for the England tour in August. He was amongst those who gave his sample on the very first date of sample taking, September 25 and did not try and delay the procedure,” Shahid said.

He further said that answering a question, Asif admitted that he had been using Promax but had stopped as soon as the team physiotherapist told him not to use it.

Team physiotherapist Darryn Lifson, Shahid said, confirmed that Asif stopped the use of Promax-50 (purchased by him locally) as soon as he was told to do so.

“We have ourselves noticed during the hearings that Asif’s command on English is limited and we are clear that he could not possibly have understood the WADA publications without someone helping him to understand the contents of a medicine. No such guidance or counselling was provided. He has stated before us that he is unable to explain why his urine sample has tested positive for the nandrolone metabolite.

Shahid added: “In the absence of any reasonable explanation for the adverse test result, we are not convinced that Asif’s case is one of no fault or negligence. Accordingly, we have decided to impose a one-year ban on Asif with effect from October 15, the day on which he was suspended by the PCB.

According to analysts, the ban will definitely affect the career of 31-year-old Shoaib while Asif, 23, has bright chances of staging a comeback after one year.