By Abhishek Roy Nov 2, 2006, 13:10 GMT
New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) Lauding Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) decision to ban fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif for doping, former India players feel the malaise must be checked at all costs.
Akhtar, 31, was handed a two-year ban and Asif, 23, one year by a PCB doping tribunal Wednesday after it was revealed that both had taken the banned steroid Nandrolone. The PCB conducted the tests in September and both players missed the Champions Trophy in India following the revelation.
'I think the PCB has done a very good thing by taking the initiative and banning the players. It has set an example for the younger generation,' legendary spinner Erapalli Prasanna told IANS Thursday.
Prasanna felt the game has changed a lot and the respective national cricket boards should take the initiative to clean up the mess.
'After all, it is a gentleman's game and you have to handle it with care,' said Prasanna.
Former opening batsman-turned-commentator Arun Lal echoed Prasanna's views and said the International Cricket Council (ICC) should make it mandatory for all member countries to conduct regular dope tests to keep the game clean.
'The awareness about doping among the respective boards is very less and that is why we have seen few players having tested positive. I think if more tests are conducted regularly we will have more such cases,' he said.
Ashok Malhotra, another former Test player, said all the boards should have a qualified doctor attached who can take care of the doping issues.
'When players are tested positive they say they were ignorant about the banned substance. It is a lame excuse. They are professional cricketers and should be well aware of what is banned and what is allowed,' he said.
Another former player Abbas Ali Baig said the increasing amount of competition in the game forces players to take up banned substances.
'With the number of matches going up every year, the number of players getting injured has also increased. No player wants to be out of the game for a long time as huge money is now involved,' he said.
'They want to make a quick comeback and on the way tread the wrong path that never leads them to their destination.'
With Akhtar and Asif out of the game, Malhotra felt Pakistan's 2007 World Cup chances have been dented badly.
'Akhtar and Asif's combination was like that of (Glenn) McGrath and (Brett) Lee. I don't think there is hardly any chance for Pakistan to make it beyond the group stage in the World Cup in the West Indies,' he said.
Under the ICC rules, Akhtar and Asif can appeal within seven days. If they do so, then another independent committee will look into their appeal.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service
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