Asif to challenge IPL ban

Still insisting that he had not taken any banned substance intentionally, Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif on Wednesday said he would appeal against the one-year ban imposed on him by the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Asif, who was handed the ban for his dope flunk in the inaugural IPL last year, said he has started consultations with his legal advisor to challenge the decision.

"I didn't take any banned substances intentionally so I am not pleased with this ban. I told the IPL drugs tribunal I had used eye drops which I didn't know contained the banned substance, nandrolone," Asif said.

"We will appeal against the ban. I don't want to carry the stigma of having been found guilty of taking banned substances," he added.

Asif insisted he has never used banned substances or performance-enhancing drug in his life and the IPL dope result has shocked him.

"It was something that shocked me because I don't do drugs or banned substances. I will try to clear my name," he said.

Asif, who has played 11 Tests and 31 one-day internationals since his Pakistan debut in early 2005, was also detained for 19 days in Dubai last June after customs officials found opium in his wallet.

Asif also tested positive for nandrolone in 2006 and was initially banned for a year by the PCB but the suspension was overturned by the board's anti-doping appeals committee.