Shoaib and Asif appear before tribunal

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif attended the preliminary hearing of the tribunal investigating the doping case at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) headquarters in Lahore today. Both players - suspended from the Champions Trophy after testing positive for nandrolone, a banned steroid - recorded their statements separately. They were asked to submit their written statements for the next hearing, scheduled for October 26, after a break in proceedings for Eid.

"The hearing lasted around four hours as we had to do some initial work and then heard Akhtar and Asif," Shahid Hamid, the chairman of the tribunal, told reporters. "We have given them reports of their tests and have asked them to submit their written statements in the next hearing." The tribunal consists of Hamid and Intikhab Alam while Waqar Ahmed, the third member and medical expert, was unable to attend the hearing.

The tribunal is expected to return its findings in two weeks, after which the PCB will decide on a final course of action. Both players are liable to face bans of anywhere between one and two years. Hamid said that the players were briefed about the procedures and added that they had the option of bringing their lawyers in the next hearing.

"I cannot predict any time frame but would try to reach the conclusion as early as possible. We will give fair chance to both the players and then submit our report to the PCB. Both Akhtar and Asif have been told about the procedure of the doping matters."

The PCB also stated that both players will have the opportunity to get their B samples tested after the tribunal hearings. The B sample is still with the laboratories and will be used for testing only if the players request for it.