The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Shoaib, Asif forgo their right

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Shoaib, Asif forgo their right

— Photo: AFP

PRESENTING HIS CASE: Shoaib Akhtar (right) arrives for a hearing in Lahore with his lawyer Noman Niaz.

Karachi: Pakistan bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have forgone their right to call for the testing of the `B' sample while appearing before a Drugs Inquiry Tribunal in Lahore, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said on Friday.

The PCB official said both the players accepted the findings of the first test on their `A' sample before the tribunal, but pleaded innocence to taking the substance knowingly to enhance their performances.

``They want the tribunal to sympathetically consider the fact that they had taken the banned substance accidentally and not on purpose before deciding on the penalties for them,'' the official told PTI.

The tribunal — which includes Barrister Shahid Hamid, Dr. Waqar Ahmed of the Pakistan Sports Board and former Test player Intikhab Alam — met at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for nearly five hours and during this period, the players appeared before them twice in the day.

``We recorded their detailed statements and heard out their arguments. Shoaib also brought his personal doctor, Dr. Nauman Niaz who pleaded his case on his behalf,'' Hamid said.

The PCB official said Asif had been told that he could appear again before the tribunal on Saturday with his lawyer or doctor to further plead his case. — PTI

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