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Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan has blamed poor education among players for Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif failing drugs tests. Shoaib and Asif were recalled from the Champions Trophy in India on Monday after becoming the first cricketers to test positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.
They face a PCB drugs tribunal inquiry and could be banned for up to two years if their B urine samples also test positive. "We had been warning our players to be careful even while taking medicines and strictly follow the regime of our doctors. We said the ICC is taking drugs as seriously as the match-fixing issue," Shaharyar told Reuters on Wednesday.
Shaharyar resigned as PCB chairman this month following the Oval test fiasco and the refusal of Younis Khan to captain the team in the Champions Trophy. "We even provided a list of all medicines to the players that contained banned substances. I have no doubt they consumed nandrolone but I don't think they did it intentionally," he said.
Shaharyar said Pakistan cricket was faced with repeated crises as many of the players had low levels of education and did not understand rules and regulations and how to fulfil contractual obligations. "In Shoaib's case we were always uncomfortable with his insistence on consulting his own doctor and not follow instructions from our own doctors and trainers," he said.
Shaharyar said the players had been well-behaved and disciplined under the captaincy of Inzamam-ul-Haq. "Saying prayers together," he said. "I think Inzamam built up this spirit deliberately. It forged togetherness."
Shaharyar, a diplomat by profession, said the board was concerned at one stage with the growing emphasis on religion in the team and reports about outsiders trying to influence the players.
"I felt once or twice their emphasis on religion was exaggerated. I spoke to Inzi about it and he agreed. I told them don't make a show of it because religion is a private issue." "We told the players we don't want an ultra religious image projected by the team." Shaharyar blamed Australian umpire Darrell Hair for inciting the incidents, which led to the fourth test against England at the Oval being forfeited.
Pakistan refused to continue play in protest at the decision of Hair and fellow umpire Billy Doctrove to change the ball and penalise them five runs for ball-tampering. Shaharyar said after the fourth day's play that match referee Mike Procter called a meeting of the captains, umpires and heads of the boards in which everyone wanted to continue the game on the fifth day.

Copyright Reuters, 2006

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