Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday expressed satisfaction over the verdict of Appellate Tribunal that exonerated pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif from doping charges saying the case was over after the tribunal ruling.
PCB is satisfied the case is closed with the ruling of the Appellate Tribunal, said a statement issued by the board here. The Appellate Tribunal headed by former Justice Fakhruddin. G. Ibrahim cleared both the fast bowlers of doping charges, lifting the ban of two years and one year respectively, on Shoaib and Asif.
The statement said that the PCB honours the decision of the Independent Appellate Tribunal as it respected the decision of the commission chaired by Barrister Shahid Hamid.
It further said that the tribunal carried out detailed proceedings of the case through a transparent process ensuring absolute impartiality and acquitted the two Pakistani fast bowlers of the doping charges on the basis that the contaminated nutritional supplements taken by the players contaminated led to positive urine test and the players were found to have honest and reasonable belief that the nutritional supplements being used by them did not contain "banned substance".
The cricket board asked internationally renowned sports lawyer Mark Gay of law firm DLA Piper in London to assist the Appellate Tribunal on technical and legal basis pertaining to doping as "amicus curiae". The independent tribunal found that PCB adopted correct procedures for acquiring testing and handling of the urine samples of the 19 cricket players.
Pakistan Cricket Board said that many lessons have been learnt and PCB stands by its zero-tolerance policy regarding the drug abuse and hopes that all cricketers will follow the theme of "playing true" in its true letter and spirit.
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