Asif slapped a whopping bill as legal cost of his release

Karachi, Nov 20 (PTI) Dope-tainted pacer Mohammad Asif's
miseries doesn't seem to end as the troubled Pakistani
cricketer has now been slapped with a whopping bill as the
legal costs for his release from detention in Dubai earlier
this year.

Asif was detained for 19-days in Dubai for possession
of a banned substance and the Pakistan cricket Board had
hired the legal firm, Afridi and Angel, to represent the pacer
in the case contested with the Dubai police.

"The issue now is that the previous PCB management have
forwarded a bill sent by the Dubai based 'Afridi and Angel'
firm to Asif for payment," a well-informed PCB source told
PTI.

"Asif has taken up the issue with the present management
pointing out that no one ever consulted him or took his
consent while hiring the services of the firm that time, so
why should he pay for the legal costs," the source added.

The source said the bill was in thousands of dirhams and
Asif, shaken by the demand, has told PCB that the
representative of the Board Nadeem Akram, sent to assist him
in Dubai in June, had bothered to visit him just once at the
detention centre during his nearly two weeks stay in Dubai.

Asif has already submitted an application to the present
PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt for release of money due to him as per
his central contract with the Board even though he was at
present suspended.

"The PCB Chairman will review Asif's request for release
of funds this week as the pacer also wants the Board to review
the ban imposed on him after he tested positive in a dope test
carried out during the Indian Premier League," the source
disclosed.

He said Asif wanted to know why the ban was imposed as he
was neither representing Pakistan in the IPL and the tests
were conducted in a foreign country and under foreign laws
which had nothing to do with Pakistan cricket. PTI CORR
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