Free for now, but Asif riddle remains

New Delhi: Mohammad Asif has finally arrived in Lahore, ending a 19-day ordeal after the authorities in Dubai decided to release him from detention for carrying contraband drugs.
The PCB has decided to get to the "bottom of the truth" and they will start by quizzing the Hakeem, who had given Asif the banned drug as a "medicine".

For Asif, the golden words of freedom must have come as a huge sigh of relief. Held in detention for 19 days in Dubai, not many including the Pakistan fast bowler himself would have known when he would get to set foot on home soil again.

"I was cleared in all my tests there. There were two tests one during the IPL, which I cleared as well. Had I tested positive, the ICC would have banned me already. (PCB official) Nadeem Akram's presence gave me a lot of hope while I was in detention," Asif said upon his arrival in Lahore on Friday.

Though it is difficult to put a finger on whether State intervention saved the day for the young fast bowler, the Dubai authorities' statement on his release does leave unanswered questions.
Mohammad Al Nuaimi, the Dubai Public Prosecutor, said: "It is definite that he committed the crime of smuggling and possessing 0.24 grams of opium as he was caught red-handed. However, in certain cases and for a faster litigation process the Public Prosecution drops a case due to insignificance."

However, Asif's road back in to the Pakistan team will not be as quick. The PCB says they will continue their investigations into the matter.

"PCB intends to conduct an immediate inquiry into this matter, as per its policies and procedures, once the official records are received from the UAE authorities," a PCB statement said.

Cricket leaves a lot to be desired as far as discipline is concerned. Will Asif's case get the cricket authorities to come up with an exemplary censure, or will he get back to his ways without a fig to care about this episode that certainly shamed Pakistan cricket?

Source: http://www.cricketnext.com/news/free-for-now-but-asif-riddle-remains/32269-13.html

Asif desperate to watch B'desh tri-series

Mumbai: Unable to play for Pakistan in the ongoing tri-series in Bangladesh due to detention for possession of drugs on June 1 in Dubai, pace ace Mohammad Asif said he was missing the action as he was not even unable to watch ODIs on television.

"No I have not been able to watch the Pakistan-India match," he said from his Dubai detention area on Tuesday night.

Asif's only interview an Indian journalist after his detention, carried in the Mid-Day newspaper, was made possible through the efforts of two airport police authorities.

They said that though Asif's cellphone had been confiscated, and there was no direct telephone line inside the 'jail', the bowler could contact the journalist by using a pay phone.

"What's the score? Is Pakistan winning", Asif had asked about the match in progress on Tuesday night.

"There are no TV sets here. Only news we get is from morning newspapers", he said. "The language is also a problem to deal with the authorities. They speak Arabic and don't understand what I say," he added.

"I have made few freinds over here. We chat most of the time. They also like my company," he added.

Few Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are detained at the airport for various reasons.
Asif chatted for about five minutes, and didn't seem to be nervous in the jail. "I shall play football," he said jokingly when asked what would he do if banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

He evaded the question about the hakeem, who, Asif says, had supplied the drugs.

"Yes, I offer namaaz three-four times a day. There is a prayer room and Pakistani people don't miss namaaz at various time during day. Insh-Allah, I shall be free soon," he signed off.

Source: http://www.cricketnext.com/news/asif-desperate-to-watch-bdesh-triseries/32118-13.html