Pakistan chaos continues

Report: Pakistan pair fail doping tests

Interview: ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed

By Martin Gough

A two-year period of unprecedented stability for the Pakistan side has been brought to an emphatic end over the last two months.

Shoaib and Asif are awaiting tests on B samples

First there was the furore at The Oval, which saw the team stage a sit-down protest after being accused of ball-tampering.

The row rumbled on as the disciplinary hearing was not held until late September, with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq cleared of ball-tampering but banned for leading the protest.

Confusion within the Pakistan Cricket Board saw Younis Khan initially, and very publicly, turn down the captaincy, while chairman Shaharyar Khan resigned.

And now pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been called home from the Champions Trophy after testing positive for nandrolone.

Former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal thought Pakistan had put trouble behind them after Inzamam was cleared of cheating.

"Once that verdict came out, everybody was very happy, the Pakistan camp was confident and the whole nation was proud that the team took a stand," Asif told BBC Sport.

"Then the Younis Khan fiasco didn't really put the team in the right frame of mind before their departure for India.

"This bombshell caps it all."

They're brilliant sportsmen but they're unable to handle the fame Asif Iqbal

Off-field turmoil used to be the norm for Pakistan, who just three years ago dropped half the squad after their disappointing World Cup performance.

However, the two-year alliance of coach Bob Woolmer and Inzamam as captain, made that the exception.

"Bob Woolmer, since he took over, has got the team [working] as a unit," said Asif, Woolmer's former team-mate at Kent.

"He and Inzamam worked together very well to make absolutely sure the team concentrates purely on cricket."

That is exactly what Pakistan must do over the coming days, as a depleted side must take on Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa in the Champions Trophy.

New PCB chairman Dr Naseem Ashraf has repeated the mantra.

If tests on the B samples of Shoaib and Mohammad Asif are also positive, the impact on Pakistan's World Cup hopes could be severe, but that is not something the team can control.

"It's a huge disappointment losing the top players, and on top of that Inzamam is also not in the batting line-up," said Asif Iqbal.

Inzamam and Woolmer had presided over two stable years

"But they know in one-day cricket one performance from a bowler or batsman can change the course of a game and they still have those players in the team to make the difference.

"I would hope Younis Khan is saying, 'There's nothing we can do about it so let's just concentrate on whatever resources we have'."

In the long-term, Asif believes, the authorities in Pakistan need to address the problem of players being unprepared for the off-field pressures of the international game.

"Cricketers from the subcontinent, and particularly Pakistan, come from humble backgrounds and suddenly they've got fame and fortune thrust on them," he said.

"They're brilliant sportsmen but they're unable to handle the fame. They travel abroad and have superstar status. One or two of them [buckle under] the strain."

"We need to address issues that don't involve playing on the field.

"Maybe they will have some kind of programme to groom cricketers to represent the country in the international arena."