KARACHI, 20 October 2006 — Pakistan fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been told to stop talking to the media before their appearance next week at a doping tribunal.
The pair were recalled from the Champions Trophy in India on Monday after testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.
The players, who have pleaded innocent to charges of knowingly using a banned substance, face a ban of one to two years under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said that as Pakistan conducted the tests internally it should decide on their punishments.
“They have been advised that it is better for them to plead their case in front of the tribunal instead of publicly as it would only damage their case,” Saleem Altaf, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s director of cricket operations, said yesterday.
Altaf said that the first hearing would take place next week after the Eid Al-Fitr holidays.
“Since the holidays are coming up we have decided to have the hearing immediately afterward. Both will be given a fair opportunity to plead their case and can ask for a test of their B samples,” he added.
ICC Find Sticky Solution to Bombay’s Pitch Problem
Glue will be sprayed on to the controversial Braborne stadium pitch after it was condemned by South African skipper Graeme Smith following his team’s Champions Trophy defeat to New Zealand.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday that a glue, polyvinyl acetate (PVA), will be used on the Cricket Club of India (CCI) pitch ahead of today’s match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
The decision was taken yesterday following an inspection of pitches at the venue by ICC grounds consultant Andy Atkinson, after concerns over their lasting qualities.
“The glue will be sprayed onto the pitch in the morning in order to bind the surface together and make sure that it lasts 100 overs so that conditions remain consistent throughout the match,” said Atkinson.
“This procedure has been used before with good results in New Zealand and at Old Trafford in England so we are confident it will be successful. “It is not a panacea — it will not make a bad pitch into a good pitch — but it has been proven to be an effective method of preventing pitches from disintegrating as the game goes along. Smith hit out at the state of the pitch after his side lost by 87 runs to the Black Caps New Zealand in the Champions Trophy on Monday. The Kiwis had been bowled out for just 195 but fought back to dismiss the powerful South Africans for 108.
“It’s always tough to sit and moan about a wicket when you’ve lost, but in terms of an international tournament I don’t think the wicket was of a good standard today,” said Smith, South Africa’s top scorer in the game with 42. “The pitch deteriorated as the day went along. Batting second was very, very difficult. The pitch broke up, the ball turned a hell of a lot. I don’t think the pitches are going to provide a 100 overs of good cricket.” Today, five liters of the glue will be mixed with ten liters of water and will be sprayed evenly over the full length of the pitch. The ICC said it the procedure will also be used for the Champions Trophy final, to be staged at the same venue on Nov. 5.
Windies Gayle Fined for Outburst Against Clarke
In Bombay, West Indies all-rounder Chris Gayle has been fined 30 percent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his team’s 10-run ODI defeat of Australia in the Champions Trophy.
Gayle, who had harsh words with Australian Michael Clarke during Wednesday’s match, was found guilty of a breach of C1 of the Code, failing to “conduct play within the spirit of the game,” by ICC match referee Mike Procter in a hearing yesterday. Clarke was found not guilty of the same charge in a separate hearing, also in Bombay on the same afternoon.
“What started off as banter between the two players got out of hand and Chris Gayle went over the top in his reactions,” said Procter.
“We do not want robots on the field and we want to ensure players play with enthusiasm and passion. “We saw a great deal of that during an excellent match on Wednesday but there is a line between what is acceptable and what is not and Chris crossed it.”
