Akhtar & Asif sent home

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have both been sent home from the Champs Trophy following a positive drugs test that detected nandrolone in their systems.

A drug test was carried out by Pakistan Cricket three weeks ago and there was a positive result for the performance enhancing steroid.

The Director of Cricket Operations Saleem Altaf told the BBC “They have tested positive for using nandrolone, which is a performance enhancing anabolic steroid.”

“We have asked for a second test (B sample). But for the moment they have been suspended and are being recalled from India.”

“Under the ICC anti-doping rules the punishment for a first violation is two years. We don’t have our own rules on such matters and might follow the ICC regulations,” Altaf added.

Mohammad Sami, Shahid Nazir and Yasir Arafat are understood to being considered as replacements.

Pakistan’s first game of the Champions Trophy is against Sri Lanka on 17th October in Jaipur.