Cricketer Ahmad Shahzad fails dope test

KARACHI: Pakistan opener Ahmad Shahzad has tested positive for a prohibited substance, Geo News reported on Wednesday.

According to sources privy to the matter, the 26-year-old cricketer from Lahore has failed the dope test, which may result in his immediate suspension.

Sources add that Shahzad has the option to undergo a second dope test.

The opener, who is struggling to hit form, may be banned for three months or more if he is found guilty of doping violations, according to PCB’s sources.

 A decision in this connection is expected in the next few days. 

Another source told The News that PCB would set up a committee to hold an inquiry against the cricketer before deciding the scope of punishment. 

Shahzad had undergone dope test during domestic matches. 

Without naming Shehzad, PCB has confirmed that a player has failed dope test. 

In a press statement, PCB said "a player has reportedly tested positive for a prohibited substance. But under ICC rules PCB cannot name the player or chargesheet him until the chemical report is CONFIRMED by the Anti-Dope Agency of the government." 

"We should have an answer in a day or two," it said. 

West Indian cricketer Andre Russell was banned from cricket for one year after being found guilty of a doping violation in his native Jamaica last year.

India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan was handed a five-month retroactive suspension for failing a dope test, a sanction which  ended on January 14 this year, after the BCCI accepted that the violation was inadvertent.