Nov 2, 2006, 13:10 GMT
Chandigarh, Nov 2 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Thursday commended the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decision to ban fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif for doping.
'It is a good judgement, well written, very professionally done and they have made constant reference to the guidelines laid down in the PCB's anti-doping code,' said ICC president Percy Sonn.
'From an ICC perspective it is very satisfactory.'
A PCB doping tribunal Wednesday banned Shoaib, 31, for two years and Asif, 23, for one year after it was revealed that both had taken banned steroid Nandrolone. The tests were conducted by the PCB in September, and both players missed the Champions Trophy in India following the revelation during the tournament.
'It is a tragedy that the career of two cricketers have been tarnished in this way but, at the same time, the judgement emphasises that cricket has a zero-tolerance of drug use,' said Sonn in a statement.
'That is the idea behind the ICC's drug-testing regime at all our events since 2002 and our adoption of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code in July. And that idea of zero tolerance has to be the major message from this whole affair,' he stated.
The ICC president also urged the member countries to adopt the doping process as soon as possible so that cricket can show just how committed it is to being known as a drug-free sport.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service
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