Asif drug case decision awaits new PCB chief

CRICKET: RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Aug. 30: The Pakistan Cricket Board has completed its findings into fast bowler Mohammad Asif's drug case, but the final decision on his future can only be taken by the yet-to-be-appointed new chairman of the board, a PCB official said Friday.

"We have completed our work and now it's up to the new chairman to decide on our recommendations," PCB's chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi told the Associated Press.

Asif was detained for 19 days in Dubai after authorities allegedly found a substance containing opium in his wallet as he travelled through Dubai's international airport on his way home from playing in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

Naghmi did not detail the findings of the committee investigating Asif's case. "We have given some recommendations in our findings and only the chairman has the authority to take a decision," he said.

PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf stepped down from his position only hours after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf - who was also the patron of the board - announced his resignation on Aug. 18. The new chairman of the board is expected to be named after Pakistan's presidential elections on Sept. 6. AP