Pakistan will not be able to take their key strike bowler Mohammad Asif to UAE for a limited-overs series against New Zealand next month because of the pacer's detention in Dubai last year over possession of a banned substance.
Pakistan will not be able to take their key strike bowler Mohammad Asif to UAE for a limited-overs series against New Zealand next month because of the pacer's detention in Dubai last year over possession of a banned substance.
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Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, said on Monday that Asif cannot be a part of the Pakistan team as he will not be allowed entry into the UAE.
"Asif cannot play in the series against New Zealand because he cannot go to UAE. He was deported from Dubai (last year) and according to regulations he cannot enter there," said the PCB chief.
Earlier this month, Butt had approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) for Asif's clearance. The series is scheduled Nov 3-13 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Asif was barred from entering the UAE after he was detained in Dubai for 19 days last June for the possession of opium when he was returning home after featuring in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League.
The bowler was later released without being charged but he was deported from Dubai, which means he cannot travel there.
He was handed a Rs 1 million fine by the PCB for his Dubai detention after the drugs inquiry tribunal of the IPL banned him for 12 months for testing positive for a banned substance. The one-year ban ended last month after which Asif was allowed to feature in the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.
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