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| PCB to carry out dope tests |
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Sunday, May 18, 2008
KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board will conduct dope tests on the national players to be selected in the squad for this summer’s Asia Cup, a top PCB official said on Saturday.
Shafqat Naghmi, the Board’s Chief Operating Officer, told ‘The News’ that all the players in the Asia Cup squad will be subjected to dope tests.
“We have a very clear anti-doping policy which put emphasis on having regular dope tests to minimise the chances of having any drug cheats in the national team,” Naghmi said.
The PCB official said that the tests will be carried out after the Pakistan team returns from Bangladesh after featuring in a three-nation tournament also involving India.
“We will be carrying out dope tests before the Asia Cup as a part of our anti-doping policy,” Naghmi said.
Pakistan are scheduled to host the Asia Cup from June 24-July 6.
Naghmi said that the Pakistan team will be back home after competing in the Bangladesh triangular by mid June which means that the PCB will have around a week to carry out the dope tests and get the results from a laboratory in Malaysia that is accreditated by the World Anti Doping Agency.
“You can get the results in just three days by paying double the normal amount which the laboratory charges for a dope test,” said Naghmi.
Contrary to the general impression that dope tests are expensive, Naghmi said that the lab charges ‘just US30 per test’ and doubles the amount for urgent cases.
The PCB adopted a tough anti-doping stance after two of their top pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif tested positive for nandrolone during the previous edition of the ICC Champions Trophy in India in 2006. It became a huge international scandal after which the Board streamlined its anti-doping policy to minimise the chances of similar embarrassment in the future.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
