RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: The Pakistan Cricket Board will agree with whatever decision the Indian Premier League takes after bowler Mohammad Asif’s “B” sample test reportedly also came out positive.

“Since he played in an Indian domestic (cricket) event and was also tested there, it’s not us who are going to launch an inquiry into this case,” PCB’s chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi told The Associated Press.”Whatever decision the IPL officials take, we will accept it,” Naghmi said.The right arm paceman tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone from a sample taken on May 30 while he was playing in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils.

On Tuesday, media reports in Pakistan quoted Asif’s lawyer Shahid Karim as saying that the “B” sample also came out positive.Asif faces a likely ban of two years. Karim, who accompanied Asif to Geneva for the “B” sample, was quoted on ARY OneWorld television as saying that there were discrepancies in the quantity of nandrolone found in the two tests.The Pakistan Cricket Board has suspended the 25-year-old Asif from playing all forms of the game and has also dropped him from next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.”Unless he clears himself from this doping case, he could not represent Pakistan,” Naghmi said.Following the completion of the IPL season, Asif was detained in Dubai for weeks after airport authorities found an illegal substance. He was later released without charge.

In 2006, Asif and fellow-paceman Shoaib Akhtar were pulled out of the Champions Trophy after both tested positive for nandrolone during internal testing by the PCB.
Source:iht.com

Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming is hoping to get some cricket under his belt with Wellington before returning for a second stint with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

The 35-year-old batsman has been spending time with his family and setting up a new business since retiring from the international scene earlier this year and admitted getting his focus back on cricket would be a battle ahead of next year’s April 10 start date for the Twenty20 tournament.”I think the challenge will be mentally to become a cricketer again. At the moment I’m certainly not a cricketer.

“To be going back and forth is a bit awkward and will be a challenge.”I’ll have to wait and see how I deal with it.”Fleming has not taken up one of Wellington’s 12 full-time contracts and instead hopes to play for them on a more casual basis once the draw has been decided.”I’m trying to put something together that gives me an opportunity to get some cricket under my belt and play well and contribute,” he told Radio Sport.

“So if it can take place then I will certainly do it. If not, then I will just have to batten down the hatches over there.”Turning up cold against Shoaib (Akhtar) and Brett (Lee) doesn’t excite me that much.”
Source: cricket365.com

Big TV, the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Amabni Group’s soon-to-be-launched direct-to-home venture, has bagged the official DTH partnership for the Indian Premier League, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Twenty20 cricket tournament, for a bid of $31.16 million (about Rs 137 crore) for the next four years.

According to industry sources, Big TV outbid the only other contender, Airtel Digital TV, the Bharti group’s DTH service. Airtel Digital TV, which is also expected to be launched soon, had put in a bid of $30.28 million for the same number of years.

Reliance Entertainment President Rajesh Sawhney said in a statement: “We at Big TV are excited at being chosen the DTH partner of the DLF IPL. As an official partner of this premier event, Big TV will play its role in the enhancement of the league and in the process add to its own business and public profile.” Bharti Airtel, however, declined to comment on the issue.

The tender for the DTH partner was made public today. Under the terms, Big TV will be contributing Rs 34.27 crore a year as a part of its commitment to IPL as the official DTH partner. IPL had signed up the likes of Pepsi and Kingfisher Airlines as the official beverage and airline partners respectively. The league had also roped in Hero Honda, Citibank, ITC Welcomgroup and Vodafone as other official partners.

Source:business-standard.com