Mohammad Asif (Pakistani cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Asif is a Pakistan
i right-arm fast medium bowler in cricket
. Asif was born in Sheikhupura
, and has played first-class cricket
for Khan Research Labs
, the National Bank
, Quetta, Sheikhupura, Sialkot
and Leicestershire
. He made his Test match
debut for the Pakistan cricket team against Australia
in January 2005.
On 20 July 2010, Asif was ranked second leading Test bowler, just behind Dale Steyn
.
In 2006, there was a cricket controversy involving Asif, after he tested positive for anabolic steroid
, Nandrolone
, before having a ban imposed on him overturned on appeal. He was later withdrawn from Pakistan's World Cup squad with an unrelated injury. Further cricket controversy followed when he was detained in Dubai suspected of having drugs on his person and was then found to have tested positive for a banned substance during the Indian Premier League
. In August 2010 he was accused by the News of the World
of deliberately bowling no-balls in return for payment from a betting syndicate. On 5 February 2011 a 3-man tribunal, appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave the verdict that he was to be banned for 7 years, with 2 of those suspended if no further offences were committed. In November 2011, Asif was convicted, along with Salman Butt
and Mohammad Amir, of conspiracy charges relating to spot-fixing
. On 3 November 2011, Asif was given a one-year prison sentence for his role in the scandal.
Asif was subsequently dropped from the side but returned a year later in January 2006 for the home tour against India
. In the second Test, Asif bowled 34 overs and took the wicket of Yuvraj Singh
. It was the third Test in Karachi, however, where Asif would make headlines. After a poor batting display by Pakistan, Asif took 4 for 78 in the first innings, including the wicket
s of V. V. S. Laxman
, Rahul Dravid
and, once again, Yuvraj Singh, to help Pakistan take a six-run lead. Asif returned in the second innings with three clean bowled
wicket
s of Virender Sehwag
, Laxman, and Sachin Tendulkar
to lead Pakistan to victory. His series against the Indians was blighted by a fine imposed by match referee Chris Broad
for over-appealing and premature celebration of a wicket.
The ODI series that followed this Pakistan lost 4–1 to India.
Asif followed up his match-winning efforts against India in Pakistan's next tour in Sri Lanka
, where he took a career-best 11 for 71 in the 2nd Test, in another dramatic come-from-behind victory.
In November 2005, Leicestershire
announced the signing of Asif for the 2006 season
after he had played a game for their second XI in 2004
. Leicestershire's chairman Neil Davidson described him as a "bowler with the ability to generate great pace". Asif did relatively well picking up 25 wickets in 7 first class games before leaving to join the Pakistan squad for their tour of England. Asif was due to line up again with Leicestershire for the 2007 season but due to injury problems was asked not to play by the PCB
Asif missed the first three Tests in Pakistan's tour to England in the summer of 2006, but returned to the side for the fourth Test and immediately made an impact, picking up four wickets (Andrew Strauss, Alistair Cook, Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen) in the first innings at the Oval, and another in the second (Marcus Trescothick).
He made history when he became the first bowler to bowl a maiden over in Twenty20 cricket. In fact he managed to pick up two wickets during that over, first of Kevin Pietersen
for a golden duck
and then of Andrew Strauss
, also without scoring.
A lot was made of the duel between Asif and Pietersen in matches between them. Asif enjoyed success against Pietersen having taken his wicket five times, with three of those dismissals coming from the first ball without scoring.
Asif claimed 19 wickets abroad in Pakistan's test series against South Africa in 2007
. This feat lifted him to eighth in the LG ICC Test player rankings after only nine appearances – equalling the record for the fewest matches taken by a Pakistan bowler to reach the top 10, shared by Waqar Younis
and Pervez Sajjad
.
Following the 2–1 test series loss against South Africa, Pakistan captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq
praised Asif's performance, "Asif has immaculate length control and a natural ability to swing the ball both ways. He is also quick to spot a weakness in batsmen and work on it." Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer
added, "He [Asif] is a modern-day fast bowler based on the likes of [Shaun] Pollock
and [Glenn] McGrath
. He gives you control and has the ability to hit the seam and make the ball move both ways. In Pakistan terms he is more Sarfraz Nawaz
than Imran Khan.
Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan agreed with the assessment of Asif's progress, saying: "Asif is well on his way to become one of the greats. If he gains a little bit of pace through weight training he can be more lethal."
In August 2007, he joined the Indian Premier League (IPL)
He was subsequently drafted by the Delhi DareDevils
for US $650,000.
In the week before the 2007 Twenty20 world cup match in South Africa, Shoaib Akhtar
was rumoured to have hit Asif with a bat, leaving a bruise on his left thigh. According to sources, the two were involved in a dressing room spat which resulted in Asif being struck by a bat on his left thigh. Sources said the fight between the two started after Asif and Shahid Afridi
disagreed with Shoaib that he shared the same stature as Imran Khan in Pakistan cricket and even ridiculed him for making such a comparison. The injury was not thought to be anything more serious than a bruise but a team investigation into the matter was pending. After the initial inquiry, it would found that Shoaib was at fault and he was subsequently recalled from the Twenty20 World Cup squad and was sent home. He was also banned for 5 matches by the PCB and a lifetime ban may also seem imminent. Akhtar later claimed that Afridi was responsible for the fight, saying "He made some ill remarks about my family. And I could not tolerate them" Afridi however, denied these allegations adding that Asif would have suffered more injuries but for his intervention. Even Asif chipped in saying that Shoaib was lying and that "Shahid Afridi had nothing to do with the fight." saying that "he has not apologised to me. "
In July 2010, during Pakistan's tour to England
, Mohammad Asif took his 100th test wicket, dismissing Alastair Cook
in only 20 matches.
Conversely, Asif jointly holds the Test record with five consecutive ducks
, an unfortunate honour he shares with Bob Holland
and Ajit Agarkar
.
published allegations that Asif and fellow bowler Mohammad Amir had deliberately bowled no-balls during Pakistan's 2010 tour of England
in return for payment from a betting syndicate, a practice known as spot-fixing
.
On 1 September 2010, after the warm-up List A game between Pakistan and Somerset, the International Cricket Council
announced that they had suspended Asif under the provision of the provisions of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code. The statement from the ICC stated that the three players (Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt
) were charged "under various offences under Article 2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel relating to alleged irregular behaviour during, and in relation to, the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's last month".
After filing his appeal against the suspension he withdrew it stating that he wanted the Scotland Yard investigation to be completed before he files an appeal against his ban as he knows what the charges levelled against him are In December Salman Butt
one of the three cricketers implicated along with Asif and Amir announced that he wanted his hearing to be delayed because he wanted the Scotland Yard investigation to be completed first. Asif and Amir stated they would not take part in the teleconference involving Butt for requesting the delay in the hearing because they wanted their decisions to happen quickly so that they could be selected in Pakistan's provisional world cup squad
On 5 February 2011, the tribunal's decision was handed down. Asif was found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls, and was banned from the sport of cricket for seven years, the last two of which were suspended should no further offences take place, and Asif take part in a Pakistani Cricket Board anti-corruption program.
On 1 November 2011, Asif was convicted at Southwark
Crown Court, along with Amir and Butt, of conspiracy to cheat at gambling and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.
along with team mate Shoaib Akhtar
, and was pulled from the Champions Trophy after the pair failed drug tests for the performance-enhancing substance Nandrolone
.
England batsman Andrew Strauss
said the news had rocked cricket. Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live
, he said: "When drugs are used in any sport it is not a great day for that sport and this not a great day for cricket."
On 1 November 2006, the PCB handed down a two-year suspension to Shoaib Akhtar and a one-year suspension to Asif, banning them from professional cricket for the duration. Both Asif and Shoaib have been added to Pakistan Olympic Association
list of doping offenders. The tribunal set to investigate steroid use revealed that Asif had been using a protein supplement, Promax-50. The panel had reported to have shown a degree of leniency to Asif as they believe that he did not understand what he was taking and stopped at the request of the physiotherapist. Both Akhtar and Asif appealed against the ban. A second tribunal was formed. On 5 December both were acquitted by the tribunal appointed to review their drug ban appeal. The decision was made two to one with Hasib Ahsan and Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim in favour of the acquittal. Statement by Justice Ebrahim:
"This appeal committee [therefore] holds that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will not be deemed to have committed a doping offence," Ibrahim said. "The ban and punishment imposed by the earlier tribunal is hereby set aside as being contrary to the provision of laws."
However, the WADA, World Anti-Doping Agency
was unhappy with the decision and was to challenge the decision to lift the bans on the fast bowlers, and taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
in Lausanne
, Switzerland. The ICC, cricket's world governing body, has supported the WADA appeal adding that it was committed to a dope free game.
On 6 December 2006, Asif spoke out in his defence in an interview with the BBC
. When asked to explain the presence of Nandrolone
in his body, Asif cited a lack of awareness in Asian countries and said that he had taken some vitamins and protein
supplements during the team's 2006 tour of England
, which led to the problem. He also mentioned that medicines are easier to obtain in Pakistan, with little information available about the quality of the medicines.
On 1 March 2007, Akhtar and Asif were ruled out of the Pakistani squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup
by team officials, minutes before the squad was to depart for the West Indies. The team management along with the PCB said their injuries were too severe to risk taking them to the Caribbean. Since neither of the two had been declared fit they had not undergone official doping tests. However, Pakistani officials told cricket sources off the record that the team management had feared that they would fail the doping tests as it was likely traces of Nandrolone
were still present in their system.
However, on 2 July 2007, the Court of Arbitration for Sport later dropped the case, ruling it had no jurisdiction to challenge the decision made by PCB.
On 1 June 2008, Asif was detained at Dubai International Airport
on suspicion of possessing illegal drugs. An unknown substance was found in Asif's wallet, and was sent for analysis along with a sample of Asif's urine. The PCB appointed a legal counsel to represent Asif, and sent a senior board official to Dubai to handle the case. Asif was withdrawn from Pakistan's squad for the upcoming tri-series in Bangladesh and replaced by newcomer Sohail Khan
.
On 19 June 2008, the charges against Asif were dropped by the Dubai public prosecutor due to "insignificance." The prosecutor, Mohammad Al Nuaimi, was quoted as saying, "It is definite that he committed the crime as he was caught red-handed ... however in certain cases and for a faster litigation process the Public Prosecution drops a case due to insignificance and deports the suspect."He was banned from entering UAE ever again. Asif returned to Pakistan the following day and thanked those who had aided his release, he also stated, "I did not use any banned substance. During the Indian Premier League, I underwent two doping tests, and cleared both of them...If I had been tested positive, the ICC would not have cleared me." His alleged aiders include the Pakistani actress, Veena Malik
, who recently claimed that Asif has not returned her loan amounting to PKR 13 million, which was used for his release.
In July 2008, soon after his return to Pakistan from Dubai, the IPL revealed that a player had tested positive for banned substances during the tournament and on 14 July, it was revealed that the player in question was Asif.
Asif protested his innocence, and his lawyer announced that his 'B' sample would be analysed as per WADA regulations, and he was later suspended from all cricket indefinitely by the PCB. He does have the right to appeal his suspension. On 11 February 2009, the IPL confirmed that Asif had tested positive for steroids and subsequently imposed a one year ban on him, ending on 21 September 2009. Shortly before the IPL's announcement, Muhammad Asif was released of his contract by the Delhi DareDevils
.
in Mazhavillinattam Vare
directed by Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri.
, on 28 May 2009, in a private ceremony in London. However, Veena Malik denied that the marriage had taken place.
In April 2010, Veena Malik
filed a complaint against Asif claiming that he threatened to harm her if she did not stop pursuing her demand that he return the loan of around Rs 14 million he had taken from her. Later, she served a legal notice on Asif, after two cheques he gave her to settle the outstanding amount were bounced.
On 2 March 2010, Asif announced his engagement to Sania Hilal in Lahore. The couple wed on 1 October 2010, and Asif was reported as stating that he hoped marriage would change his life in a positive way. Attendees included Pakistan Test cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq
and Younis Khan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i right-arm fast medium bowler in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. Asif was born in Sheikhupura
Sheikhupura
Sheikhupura or Shekhupur , formerly Kot Dayal Das or Singhpuria or Virkgarh , is an industrial city in the province of Punjab slightly northwest to Lahore in Pakistan. It is known for its historical places, and is commonly known locally as Qila Shaikhupura, because of the fort in the city,...
, and has played first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
for Khan Research Labs
Khan Research Laboratories
The Khan Research Laboratories ,, formerly known as Engineering Research Laboratories , is a multi-program Pakistan's weapons science and engineering research and development institute and nuclear research facility...
, the National Bank
National Bank of Pakistan cricket team
National Bank of Pakistan cricket team are a first-class cricket side, one of the most successful in Pakistani domestic cricket. They have won each of the 3 trophies on offer at least once and have achieved 14 tournament wins in total...
, Quetta, Sheikhupura, Sialkot
Sialkot cricket team
The Sialkot cricket team in Pakistan is also known as the Sialkot Stallions. Its home ground is Jinnah Stadium Sialkot. It plays in first-class domestic competitions. It is a National Champion and has won several Quaid-i-Azam Trophy competitions including 2008-2009. It was national champion in...
and Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
. He made his Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut for the Pakistan cricket team against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in January 2005.
On 20 July 2010, Asif was ranked second leading Test bowler, just behind Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn
Dale Willem Steyn is a South African cricketer who plays in Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. He is currently the number one ranked Test bowler in the world and achieved the 900+ points benchmark on 13th Nov 2011. Steyn plays domestic cricket in South Africa for Cape Cobras...
.
In 2006, there was a cricket controversy involving Asif, after he tested positive for anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
, Nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
, before having a ban imposed on him overturned on appeal. He was later withdrawn from Pakistan's World Cup squad with an unrelated injury. Further cricket controversy followed when he was detained in Dubai suspected of having drugs on his person and was then found to have tested positive for a banned substance during the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
. In August 2010 he was accused by the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
of deliberately bowling no-balls in return for payment from a betting syndicate. On 5 February 2011 a 3-man tribunal, appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave the verdict that he was to be banned for 7 years, with 2 of those suspended if no further offences were committed. In November 2011, Asif was convicted, along with Salman Butt
Salman Butt
Salman Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who was a regular Test and ODI left-handed opening batsman. He made his Test debut on 3 September 2003 in the third Test against Bangladesh, and a year later made his ODI debut against West Indies on 22 September 2004. He was appointed captain of the...
and Mohammad Amir, of conspiracy charges relating to spot-fixing
Spot-fixing
Spot-fixing refers to illegal activity in a sport where a specific part of a game is fixed. Examples include something as minor as timing a no ball or wide delivery in cricket or timing the first throw-in or corner in association football. Spot-fixing attempts to defraud bookmakers illegally by...
. On 3 November 2011, Asif was given a one-year prison sentence for his role in the scandal.
Cricket career
After impressing in domestic Pakistani cricket, Asif was fast tracked into the Pakistan test squad and made his first appearance against Australia in January 2005. He bowled 18 overs without taking a wicket and Australia won by 9 wickets.Asif was subsequently dropped from the side but returned a year later in January 2006 for the home tour against India
Indian cricket team in Pakistan in 2005-06
The India national cricket team toured Pakistan for cricket matches during the 2005–06 season. Both India and Pakistan have already played Test matches during this season; India were coming off a 2–0 series win at home over Sri Lanka, while Pakistan beat England by the same margin...
. In the second Test, Asif bowled 34 overs and took the wicket of Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh Bhandal is an Indian cricketer, and the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh. He has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000 and played his first Test match in 2003. He was the vice captain of the ODI team from late-2007 to late-2008...
. It was the third Test in Karachi, however, where Asif would make headlines. After a poor batting display by Pakistan, Asif took 4 for 78 in the first innings, including the wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s of V. V. S. Laxman
V. V. S. Laxman
Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman , sometimes shortened to Venkatsai Laxman but generally known as V.V.S. Laxman, is an Indian cricketer. Laxman represents Hyderabad in domestic cricket and has played for Lancashire in English county cricket. Laxman is the great grand nephew of Dr. Sarvepalli...
, Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers...
and, once again, Yuvraj Singh, to help Pakistan take a six-run lead. Asif returned in the second innings with three clean bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...
wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s of Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag , affectionately known as Viru, the Nawab of Najafgarh, or the Zen master of modern cricket, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler...
, Laxman, and Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
to lead Pakistan to victory. His series against the Indians was blighted by a fine imposed by match referee Chris Broad
Chris Broad
Brian Christopher Broad, usually known as Chris Broad is a former England Test cricketer and current Test official. An opening batsman, Broad had a 25-match long international Test career during which he hit six centuries, together with 34 One Day International matches with a respectable over 40...
for over-appealing and premature celebration of a wicket.
The ODI series that followed this Pakistan lost 4–1 to India.
Asif followed up his match-winning efforts against India in Pakistan's next tour in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, where he took a career-best 11 for 71 in the 2nd Test, in another dramatic come-from-behind victory.
In November 2005, Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
announced the signing of Asif for the 2006 season
2006 English cricket season
The 2006 English cricket season includes home international series for England against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England are coming off a winter with more Test losses than wins, for the first time since 2002-03, but still attained their best series result in India since 1985...
after he had played a game for their second XI in 2004
2004 English cricket season
The 2004 English cricket season saw the English cricket team record a 4-0 Test series whitewash over the West Indies. Their one-day form was poor, however. In the Natwest Trophy, they failed to make the final, which saw New Zealand defeat the West Indies by 107 runs. And in the Natwest Challenge,...
. Leicestershire's chairman Neil Davidson described him as a "bowler with the ability to generate great pace". Asif did relatively well picking up 25 wickets in 7 first class games before leaving to join the Pakistan squad for their tour of England. Asif was due to line up again with Leicestershire for the 2007 season but due to injury problems was asked not to play by the PCB
Asif missed the first three Tests in Pakistan's tour to England in the summer of 2006, but returned to the side for the fourth Test and immediately made an impact, picking up four wickets (Andrew Strauss, Alistair Cook, Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen) in the first innings at the Oval, and another in the second (Marcus Trescothick).
He made history when he became the first bowler to bowl a maiden over in Twenty20 cricket. In fact he managed to pick up two wickets during that over, first of Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
for a golden duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
and then of Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
, also without scoring.
A lot was made of the duel between Asif and Pietersen in matches between them. Asif enjoyed success against Pietersen having taken his wicket five times, with three of those dismissals coming from the first ball without scoring.
Asif claimed 19 wickets abroad in Pakistan's test series against South Africa in 2007
Pakistani cricket team in South Africa in 2006-07
-Second Test:South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first.Day 1: South Africa 124, Pakistan 135/6.Day 2: South Africa 124 & 115/3, Pakistan 265...
. This feat lifted him to eighth in the LG ICC Test player rankings after only nine appearances – equalling the record for the fewest matches taken by a Pakistan bowler to reach the top 10, shared by Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis Maitla is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket and widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time...
and Pervez Sajjad
Pervez Sajjad
Pervez Sajjad Hasan is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in nineteen Tests from 1964 to 1973....
.
Following the 2–1 test series loss against South Africa, Pakistan captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
praised Asif's performance, "Asif has immaculate length control and a natural ability to swing the ball both ways. He is also quick to spot a weakness in batsmen and work on it." Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer
Bob Woolmer
Robert Andrew Woolmer was an international cricketer, professional cricket coach and also a professional commentator...
added, "He [Asif] is a modern-day fast bowler based on the likes of [Shaun] Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
and [Glenn] McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
. He gives you control and has the ability to hit the seam and make the ball move both ways. In Pakistan terms he is more Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz Malik is a former Pakistani Test cricketer and politician who discovered reverse swing and was instrumental in Pakistan's first Test series victories over India and England. Between 1969 and 1984 he played 55 Tests and 45 One Day Internationals and was Imran Khan's regular new ball...
than Imran Khan.
Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan agreed with the assessment of Asif's progress, saying: "Asif is well on his way to become one of the greats. If he gains a little bit of pace through weight training he can be more lethal."
In August 2007, he joined the Indian Premier League (IPL)
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
He was subsequently drafted by the Delhi DareDevils
Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils is the Delhi franchise for the Indian Premier League in cricket. The franchise is owned by the GMR Group.-Franchise history:...
for US $650,000.
In the week before the 2007 Twenty20 world cup match in South Africa, Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
was rumoured to have hit Asif with a bat, leaving a bruise on his left thigh. According to sources, the two were involved in a dressing room spat which resulted in Asif being struck by a bat on his left thigh. Sources said the fight between the two started after Asif and Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi , popularly known as Shahid Afridi , is a Pakistani cricketer. Between 1996 and 2011, Afridi played 27 Tests, 325 One Day Internationals, and 43 Twenty20 Internationals for the Pakistani national team...
disagreed with Shoaib that he shared the same stature as Imran Khan in Pakistan cricket and even ridiculed him for making such a comparison. The injury was not thought to be anything more serious than a bruise but a team investigation into the matter was pending. After the initial inquiry, it would found that Shoaib was at fault and he was subsequently recalled from the Twenty20 World Cup squad and was sent home. He was also banned for 5 matches by the PCB and a lifetime ban may also seem imminent. Akhtar later claimed that Afridi was responsible for the fight, saying "He made some ill remarks about my family. And I could not tolerate them" Afridi however, denied these allegations adding that Asif would have suffered more injuries but for his intervention. Even Asif chipped in saying that Shoaib was lying and that "Shahid Afridi had nothing to do with the fight." saying that "he has not apologised to me. "
In July 2010, during Pakistan's tour to England
Pakistani cricket team in England in 2010
The Pakistan cricket team toured England from 29 July to 22 September 2010. The tour consisted of four Tests, two Twenty20s and five One Day Internationals .-1st Test:-2nd Test:-3rd Test:-4th Test:...
, Mohammad Asif took his 100th test wicket, dismissing Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook
Alastair Nathan Cook, MBE is an English international cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman who plays county cricket for Essex and International cricket for England, where he is their ODI captain. Cook played for Essex's Academy and made his debut for the first XI in 2003...
in only 20 matches.
Conversely, Asif jointly holds the Test record with five consecutive ducks
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
, an unfortunate honour he shares with Bob Holland
Bob Holland
Robert George Holland is a former New South Wales and Australian cricketer. He was, for obvious reasons, nicknamed "Dutchy".-Domestic career:...
and Ajit Agarkar
Ajit Agarkar
Ajit Bhalchandra Agarkar is an Indian international cricketer, who has been on the fringes of the Indian side in both tests and one day matches since his debut in 1998...
.
Spot fixing scandal and seven-year ban (2010–present)
In August 2010, the English Sunday newspaper News of the WorldNews of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
published allegations that Asif and fellow bowler Mohammad Amir had deliberately bowled no-balls during Pakistan's 2010 tour of England
Pakistani cricket team in England in 2010
The Pakistan cricket team toured England from 29 July to 22 September 2010. The tour consisted of four Tests, two Twenty20s and five One Day Internationals .-1st Test:-2nd Test:-3rd Test:-4th Test:...
in return for payment from a betting syndicate, a practice known as spot-fixing
Spot-fixing
Spot-fixing refers to illegal activity in a sport where a specific part of a game is fixed. Examples include something as minor as timing a no ball or wide delivery in cricket or timing the first throw-in or corner in association football. Spot-fixing attempts to defraud bookmakers illegally by...
.
On 1 September 2010, after the warm-up List A game between Pakistan and Somerset, the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
announced that they had suspended Asif under the provision of the provisions of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code. The statement from the ICC stated that the three players (Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt
Salman Butt
Salman Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who was a regular Test and ODI left-handed opening batsman. He made his Test debut on 3 September 2003 in the third Test against Bangladesh, and a year later made his ODI debut against West Indies on 22 September 2004. He was appointed captain of the...
) were charged "under various offences under Article 2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel relating to alleged irregular behaviour during, and in relation to, the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's last month".
After filing his appeal against the suspension he withdrew it stating that he wanted the Scotland Yard investigation to be completed before he files an appeal against his ban as he knows what the charges levelled against him are In December Salman Butt
Salman Butt
Salman Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who was a regular Test and ODI left-handed opening batsman. He made his Test debut on 3 September 2003 in the third Test against Bangladesh, and a year later made his ODI debut against West Indies on 22 September 2004. He was appointed captain of the...
one of the three cricketers implicated along with Asif and Amir announced that he wanted his hearing to be delayed because he wanted the Scotland Yard investigation to be completed first. Asif and Amir stated they would not take part in the teleconference involving Butt for requesting the delay in the hearing because they wanted their decisions to happen quickly so that they could be selected in Pakistan's provisional world cup squad
On 5 February 2011, the tribunal's decision was handed down. Asif was found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls, and was banned from the sport of cricket for seven years, the last two of which were suspended should no further offences take place, and Asif take part in a Pakistani Cricket Board anti-corruption program.
On 1 November 2011, Asif was convicted at Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
Crown Court, along with Amir and Butt, of conspiracy to cheat at gambling and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.
Performance-enhancing drugs
On 16 October 2006, Asif was suspended by the PCBPakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board is a sporting organization that is responsible for governing all professional cricket including Test cricket and One Day International matches played in Pakistan...
along with team mate Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
, and was pulled from the Champions Trophy after the pair failed drug tests for the performance-enhancing substance Nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
.
England batsman Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
said the news had rocked cricket. Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, he said: "When drugs are used in any sport it is not a great day for that sport and this not a great day for cricket."
On 1 November 2006, the PCB handed down a two-year suspension to Shoaib Akhtar and a one-year suspension to Asif, banning them from professional cricket for the duration. Both Asif and Shoaib have been added to Pakistan Olympic Association
Pakistan Olympic Association
Pakistan Olympic Association is the National Olympic Committee of Pakistan. The association was established in 1948 to oversee the active participation of the newly independent state at the Olympiad. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first Governor-General of the country also became the patron-in-chief of...
list of doping offenders. The tribunal set to investigate steroid use revealed that Asif had been using a protein supplement, Promax-50. The panel had reported to have shown a degree of leniency to Asif as they believe that he did not understand what he was taking and stopped at the request of the physiotherapist. Both Akhtar and Asif appealed against the ban. A second tribunal was formed. On 5 December both were acquitted by the tribunal appointed to review their drug ban appeal. The decision was made two to one with Hasib Ahsan and Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim in favour of the acquittal. Statement by Justice Ebrahim:
"This appeal committee [therefore] holds that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will not be deemed to have committed a doping offence," Ibrahim said. "The ban and punishment imposed by the earlier tribunal is hereby set aside as being contrary to the provision of laws."
However, the WADA, World Anti-Doping Agency
World Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...
was unhappy with the decision and was to challenge the decision to lift the bans on the fast bowlers, and taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland. The ICC, cricket's world governing body, has supported the WADA appeal adding that it was committed to a dope free game.
On 6 December 2006, Asif spoke out in his defence in an interview with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. When asked to explain the presence of Nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
in his body, Asif cited a lack of awareness in Asian countries and said that he had taken some vitamins and protein
Protein in nutrition
Proteins are polymer chains made of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. Proteins and carbohydrates contain 4 kcal per gram as opposed to lipids which contain 9 kcal per gram....
supplements during the team's 2006 tour of England
Pakistani cricket team in England in 2006
The Pakistani cricket team toured England in the 2006 English cricket season, following England's winter tour of Pakistan where Pakistan had won a 3-Test series 2–0 and the ODI series 4–1...
, which led to the problem. He also mentioned that medicines are easier to obtain in Pakistan, with little information available about the quality of the medicines.
On 1 March 2007, Akhtar and Asif were ruled out of the Pakistani squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
by team officials, minutes before the squad was to depart for the West Indies. The team management along with the PCB said their injuries were too severe to risk taking them to the Caribbean. Since neither of the two had been declared fit they had not undergone official doping tests. However, Pakistani officials told cricket sources off the record that the team management had feared that they would fail the doping tests as it was likely traces of Nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
were still present in their system.
However, on 2 July 2007, the Court of Arbitration for Sport later dropped the case, ruling it had no jurisdiction to challenge the decision made by PCB.
On 1 June 2008, Asif was detained at Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport of Dubai. It is situated in the Al Garhoud district, southeast of Dubai...
on suspicion of possessing illegal drugs. An unknown substance was found in Asif's wallet, and was sent for analysis along with a sample of Asif's urine. The PCB appointed a legal counsel to represent Asif, and sent a senior board official to Dubai to handle the case. Asif was withdrawn from Pakistan's squad for the upcoming tri-series in Bangladesh and replaced by newcomer Sohail Khan
Sohail Khan (cricketer)
Sohail Khan , also known as Sohail Pathan, is a Pakistani cricketer. A right-arm fast-medium bowler, he gained instant recognition during his debut first-class season in 2007 when he broke Fazal Mahmood's record for the best bowling figures by a Pakistani in a first-class match...
.
On 19 June 2008, the charges against Asif were dropped by the Dubai public prosecutor due to "insignificance." The prosecutor, Mohammad Al Nuaimi, was quoted as saying, "It is definite that he committed the crime as he was caught red-handed ... however in certain cases and for a faster litigation process the Public Prosecution drops a case due to insignificance and deports the suspect."He was banned from entering UAE ever again. Asif returned to Pakistan the following day and thanked those who had aided his release, he also stated, "I did not use any banned substance. During the Indian Premier League, I underwent two doping tests, and cleared both of them...If I had been tested positive, the ICC would not have cleared me." His alleged aiders include the Pakistani actress, Veena Malik
Veena Malik
Veena Malik is a Pakistani actress, model and comedienne. Over a span of ten years, she has worked with news channels and in movies, garnering accolades and acclaim for most of her performances. Malik has since established herself as a leading actress of Urdu cinema...
, who recently claimed that Asif has not returned her loan amounting to PKR 13 million, which was used for his release.
In July 2008, soon after his return to Pakistan from Dubai, the IPL revealed that a player had tested positive for banned substances during the tournament and on 14 July, it was revealed that the player in question was Asif.
Asif protested his innocence, and his lawyer announced that his 'B' sample would be analysed as per WADA regulations, and he was later suspended from all cricket indefinitely by the PCB. He does have the right to appeal his suspension. On 11 February 2009, the IPL confirmed that Asif had tested positive for steroids and subsequently imposed a one year ban on him, ending on 21 September 2009. Shortly before the IPL's announcement, Muhammad Asif was released of his contract by the Delhi DareDevils
Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils is the Delhi franchise for the Indian Premier League in cricket. The franchise is owned by the GMR Group.-Franchise history:...
.
Film career
Asif was signed for his first acting role for a Bollywood film in 2010, however he was dropped due to the allegations against him. He was then replaced by Canadian actor Abbas HasanAbbas Hasan
Abbas Hasan is a London-based Canadian-born French-Asian pop music artist and actor.-Biography:Born in Ottawa, Canada, Abbas grew up in Paris and forayed into the world of arts and music at a young age. His childhood music experiences included advertisements and other public broadcasts...
in Mazhavillinattam Vare
Mazhavillinattam Vare
Mazhavillinattam Vare is an upcoming Malayalam–language sports and musical film co-written and directed by Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri. The screenplay is written by T.A. Razaq based on the story by Kaithapram. It will be the directorial debut of Kaithapram, a noted poet, writer, lyricist,...
directed by Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri.
Personal life
Public and media reports in Pakistan surfaced that Asif had married Pakistani actress and model, Veena MalikVeena Malik
Veena Malik is a Pakistani actress, model and comedienne. Over a span of ten years, she has worked with news channels and in movies, garnering accolades and acclaim for most of her performances. Malik has since established herself as a leading actress of Urdu cinema...
, on 28 May 2009, in a private ceremony in London. However, Veena Malik denied that the marriage had taken place.
In April 2010, Veena Malik
Veena Malik
Veena Malik is a Pakistani actress, model and comedienne. Over a span of ten years, she has worked with news channels and in movies, garnering accolades and acclaim for most of her performances. Malik has since established herself as a leading actress of Urdu cinema...
filed a complaint against Asif claiming that he threatened to harm her if she did not stop pursuing her demand that he return the loan of around Rs 14 million he had taken from her. Later, she served a legal notice on Asif, after two cheques he gave her to settle the outstanding amount were bounced.
On 2 March 2010, Asif announced his engagement to Sania Hilal in Lahore. The couple wed on 1 October 2010, and Asif was reported as stating that he hoped marriage would change his life in a positive way. Attendees included Pakistan Test cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah-ul-Haq Khan Niazi is a Pakistani cricketer and the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team for s and s...
and Younis Khan
Younis Khan
Mohammad Younus Khan is a Pakistani cricketer and former captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Younus' name is often spelled Younis Khan, but he has been quoted as saying, "My name is Younus Khan...
External links
- Player Profile: Mohammad Asif from CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
- MohammadAsif.com
- Unofficial Mohammad Asif Fansite