KARACHI, Oct 15: Suspended fast bowler Mohammad Asif’s legal counsel has expressed confidence that his client will be cleared of the doping offence, claiming serious discrepancies in the procedure followed by the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the dope tests.

Shahid Karim, who represented Asif at the first hearing of the IPL drugs inquiry tribunal in Mumbai last week, said the bowler’s defense team had taken objections to the League’s jurisdictions and powers to conduct anti-doping control proceedings and there were serious objections.

“There were certain things on which the IPL had gone wrong so the entire day was consumed in this in the hearing. We scored a few points and made it known to the tribunal that there were serious discrepancies that had crept in,” he added.

Karim remained hopeful of his client being cleared.

“I am very hopeful that he will come clear. He will come out clean because we have serious objections to this entire procedure which I can’t disclose fully for various reasons now. But there are procedures that ought to have been followed but have not been followed and which have had adverse effect on the findings of the case,” he said.

Asif was accompanied to the tribunal hearing by Karim and sports medicine specialist Dr Michael Graham and the trio have challenged the jurisdiction of the IPL tribunal to hear and decide on the case.

Asif tested positive for a banned substance, nandrolone during the IPL semi-finals playing for Delhi Daredevils and his ‘B’ sample test also came positive although the quantity of the banned substance in his urine sample differed in the Tests.

He said he had requested the tribunal to give preliminary findings on these objections which they will do in a week’s time before proceeding further in the case.

Karim said they had also requested that the objections on the entire proceedings, starting with the dope tests and findings be thrown out by the tribunal and Asif be cleared on technical grounds.

“If that is not done, then we have been told to present our evidence, medical experts and also the other side on the next date of hearing so that the entire proceedings of the inquiry can be wound up probably at the next hearing in November,” he stated.

Asif remains suspended from all forms of cricket by the PCB because of his positive dope tests. He also spent 19 days in detention in Dubai in June for alleged possession of small quantity of contraband item but was later released without being charged.

That case is also pending with the Board, which had formed a special committee to probe if Asif had violated the board’s anti-doping policies in his detention case in Dubai.—Agencies