Cricket360 wonders whether Asif is paying for the non-seriousness on the matter. Erstwhile Pakistani cricketers are of the view that the drug 'nandrolone', of which Asif has tested positive, was found in a vial from his pocket, left carelessly, when it happened for the first time in 2006.

If that is so, the responsibility to educate Asif on it should have been with the Pakistani Cricket Board as a precocious talent may be lost. This is on account of the fact Asif tested positive once again when a random test was done on him by the BCCI during the IPL series. Asif has taken a stand that the positive test has been on account of the usage of the ophthalmologic drops named Keratyl that contains nandrolone based medication that is catalysis for giving positive results.

The stand of Asif has been on account of the support that he has been provided by the report of a British expert Michael Graham who gave indication that the eye drops contain nandrolone.

Does it then mean that an expert committee that has been appointed to ascertain doping would first have to arm it with all kinds of medications that are being undertaken by the cricketers before arriving at a decision? It would also have to take into account the time span of residual effect of a drug administered by a player, and arrive at a conscious decision according to Cricket360.com about fixing an outer limit for taking into account the after effects of a drug usage.

The time lag is important between the application of the medicine and the date on which a test has been performed on the player, as according to a study conducted by the WADA- accredited laboratory in Louisiana in 2004, Keratyl eye drops did produce positive results in urine sample, but the study also surmised that concentration of about 2ng/ml (allowable threshold of nandrolone, an endogenous steroid, in sample obtained from an athlete) can be found in sample 10-15 days after the last administration of the drug.

Before arriving at a decision to impose a penalty against Asif, it would be instructive to have on panel an expert, who would be able to discern the chemical traces of the banned substances, and the challenge for IPL would be to seek the services of the expert, as it is a question of career that can be consigned to the annals of history.

Indeed as the competitiveness in cricket is increasing, and money is being pumped in, to enhance the performances and to have longevity of career, players may resort to help of advancements of technology. It would be a challenge for the management would be to equip themselves with technical experts, so that the reputation of cricket as a gentleman's game is not maligned.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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