PCB make dope testing mandatory in domestic tourneys

The national T20 championship which begins from tomorrow in Lahore will be the first domestic event in Pakistan which will witness random dope testing of players.

"All the cricketers representing the 14 regional teams in the T20 event will be subject to random dope tests," a PCB official said.

The decision to introduce dope testing in domestic cricket comes nearly six years after former pace duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif had tested positive during the ICC Champions Trophy in India.

Since the spot-fixing scandal in 2010 which led to a ban on three players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, the board has also introduced new anti-corruption measures in domestic cricket.

"We believe that the core of any ill is in domestic cricket and must be dealt with at that level. That is why now we are taking effective anti-corruption measures and have now introduced random dope testing," the official said.

He said the dope tests would be conducted in accordance with regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"These tests will be conducted by WADA accredited independent doping control officers throughout the competition." MORE