Drugs ban appeal delayed until November 20

The anti-doping appeals committee hearing the cases of Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar has adjourned until next Monday after a preliminary hearing at the National Cricket Academy at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.

The delay came about as Abid Minto, the lawyer representing Shoaib, asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to produce certain documents without which he was unable to proceed. Aftab Gul, the former Test cricketer, is representing Asif.

The three-man committee, headed by retired Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim, met with lawyers representing the two players and insisted that despite the delay they were seeking as early a finish as possible to the hearing. The panel also includes former Test player Haseeb Ahsan and sports medical expert Dr Danish Zaheer as members.

"All parties, particularly the PCB, are very anxious that the matter is disposed off as early as possible," Ebrahim told reporters outside the Academy. "We have started the hearing partly and despite the fact that there was a request of adjournment we insisted on making some progress. It will continue on Monday and it will continue day to day until it is concluded."

The committee also announced that Mark Gay, the lawyer who represented them during the ICC hearings into the ball tampering controversy, will be assisting them if and when required. "It all depends upon whether we need him or not," said Ebrahim. "We have no personal interest in the matter and let the case be decided in accordance with the law. The tribunal needs assistance and though the PCB started proceedings under its regulations, we have to take the decision. But we need assistance from every quarter, though ultimately only we will decide."

Ebrahim refused to set a timeline for the conclusion of the hearing, insisting only that it would depend partly on "how much time the counsels of two players take. We have to give them complete opportunity to make their submissions. I am expecting to finish this as early as possible."

Shoaib was handed a two-year and Asif a one-year ban by a doping committee on November 1, after both players tested positive for Nandrolone, the banned anabolic steroid. The tests had been conducted internally by the PCB in September, although the results only came in mid-October.

Both players were withdrawn from Champions Trophy on the eve of Pakistan's first match, and they have since insisted they did not knowingly take any banned substances.