Cricket: Pakistan's Mohammed Asif Detained With Illegal Substance

It has been reported that Pakistan fast bowler Mohammed Asif has been detained in an airport in Dubai after an illegal drug was found on his person.

Asif, one of the most promising seamers in Pakistani cricket and a great hope for his nation in the forthcoming Tri Series in Bangladesh, was returning home after representing the Delhi Daredevils in this year's inaugural Indian Premier League.

Airport authorities held Asif for 36 hours after an "illegal substance" was found in his wallet on his way back to Pakistan. No charges have been filed against him, and the Pakistan Cricket Board were keen to stress that he had been "detained and not arrested."

The "substance" has been claimed as a herbal remedy for an elbow injury suffered by Asif during the IPL. A sample is currently being tested and results are expected to be forthcoming. Stories are now leaking that the drug could have been hashish, but these are as yet unconfirmed.

The PCB are adamant there has been a misunderstanding, stating the "entire matter was either a mistake or an innocent issue."

However, Asif does not have a blemish-free career with regards to drugs. He was infamously banned for a year after testing positive for nandrolone, along with team-mate Shoaib Akhtar. The PCB later lifted his suspension after stating that he took it unknowingly.

Cricket is no stranger to doping controversy, with legend Shane Warne slapped with a drug ban in his career and England spinner Phil Tufnell narrowly escaping similar punishment after failing to produce a sample.

Scandal is threatening to take the sheen off what should be a great era for cricket, with the excitement of Twenty20 encouraging more and more to follow  the sport.

Asif's detention could well be a misunderstanding; but if it turns out that something more sinister is afoot, doping scandals that have rocked sports such as cycling and athletics could find their way into the most honest and honourable of games.