| Sports |
Cricket will 'target-test' for drugs
The International Cricket Council says it will step up its
drug-testing procedures at the World Cup starting in the Caribbeans
within two weeks.
It follows the "embarrassment" caused by Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif,
who played for Pakistan a few months after testing positive for
nandrolone.
The ICC has decided to target-test individual players, in addition to
conducting random tests on others.
Chief executive Malcolm Speed said: "We want to make absolutely sure
players are free from banned substances."
Shoaib and Asif have been pulled out of Pakistan's squad at the last
moment with injuries.
All players in the squad had to submit themselves for doping tests
ordered by their national cricket board.
Shoaib and Asif both tested positive for nandrolone last September but
had lengthy doping bans quashed on appeal in December after claiming
they had not knowingly taken the banned substance.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is in turn contesting that appeal result in
the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Around seven hours before it was announced that Shoaib and Asif would
miss the World Cup, the ICC made clear its indication that players
suspected of taking drugs would be signalled out in the West Indies,
where the World Cup starts on 13 March.
In a statement, the ICC said: "These target tests will be in addition to
ICC's commitment to randomly test four players - two from each side - in
17 of the tournament's 51 matches."
It added that the target tests "may take place at any time from March 2
onwards" - the day by which all teams are due to arrive in the
Caribbean.
Speed said: "Both Shoaib Ahktar and Mohammed Asif have played for
Pakistan over the past few months despite testing positive for
prohibited substances last year.
"That is a fact neither player has disputed and it is also a fact that
has caused the game a high level of embarrassment as a result.
"From an ICC perspective, having the option to target test as well as
the already-scheduled tests in place means that if a player does have
anything in his system then there is a very strong possibility he will
be caught out.
"If that happens he will face a charge under the ICC Code of Conduct and
his team mates will also suffer because it is extremely unlikely that
the tournament technical committee would allow a replacement if a player
is banned as a result of such a charge."
 
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