Asif to stay in Dubai detention

Asif is currently detained in Dubai but Pakistan insist he is innocent

Pakistani bowler Mohammad Asif will be detained in Dubai until Sunday, when it will be decided if he should be charged for possessing drugs, officials say.

A spokesman for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that if he was not charged he would be released.

The paceman has been dropped from the Pakistan squad for the one-day tournament against Bangladesh and India and replaced by Suhail Khan.

Pakistan's first match is against hosts Bangladesh in Mirpur on 8 June.

Asif was arrested at Dubai airport on Sunday after the authorities found an unspecified substance in his possession.

"The results of the tests conducted on him and the substance have been received by the investigators but we can't say anything about them at this stage," PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Nagmi said.

"Our lawyer in Dubai is on the case and we just know that the matter has now been deferred to Sunday when something concrete will emerge," he added.

The bowler, who has appeared in 11 tests and 28 one-day internationals, reportedly told officials that the substance found on him was a medicine given to him by a local Ayurvedic practitioner for health problems.

Mr Nagmi said earlier this week that the "entire matter was either a mistake or an innocent issue".

Suhail, 24, is a right-hand medium fast bowler who was among several youngsters blooded in the recent series against Bangladesh. He has picked up four wickets in the three one-dayers he has played so far.

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