Pak Cricketer Mohammad Asif held in Dubai

Dubai, Jun 3: Pakistani pacer Mohammed Asif has been taken into custody at the Dubai airport on a charge of carrying drugs, officials said here today. The right-arm seamer, who played in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Delhi Daredevils, was returning to Pakistan from Mumbai via Dubai.

Sources said that he was arrested and detained on Sunday at the airport by custom officials. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) came to know about the issue only on Monday and since then has been busy seeking help of influential officials in Dubai to get the bail for him. PCB also sent a senior official to Dubai to assist embassy officials on Asif issue.

Asif, 25, is one of Pakistan's most promising fast bowlers. He has claimed 51 wickets in 11 test matches and recently featured in the Indian Premier League 20/20 tournament.

Asif and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar tested positive for the banned steroid Nandrolone in 2006. The PCB initially banned the players for one and two years respectively, but the bans were overturned on appeal.

UNI