If the ball-tampering fiasco during the fourth Test against England at the Oval and the captaincy issue was not enough, the Pakistan cricket team had another storm brewing in their run-up to the ICC Champions Trophy.
Two of their key players, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, tested positive for Nandrolone, a banned anabolic steroid, a day before their opening game against Sri Lanka at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur on Tuesday.
The players have been withdrawn from the Champions Trophy squad. The Pakistan Cricket Board is discussing the replacements with the ICC.
The PCB had arranged to test 19 players from World Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory in Malaysia and have asked for a reconfirmation of the reports.
Australia's Shane Warne was the first cricketer to be suspended for taking banned substances. The leg-spinner tested positive for a diuretic before the 2003 World Cup and was banned from the game for a year.
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer said he had asked the medical panel if the Pakistan Cricket Board can conduct the tests and pre-empt any adverse situations later in the tournament.
"This was the first time the International Cricket Council had officially instituted random drug testing for a tournament. We came with the idea of having dope tests at the end of September to make sure what the players were doing," Woolmer told a media conference in Jaipur on Monday.
Younis Khan, who was reinstated as captain after a flip-flop over the position by the PCB, came out in support of his players and said the Board as well as the management should take responsibility for the latest episode.
"I think all of us should take equal responsibility. We still don't know if it's because of the medication they were taking for their injuries. But I am always with my boys, whether they are going through a lean patch or not," Younis said.
Akhtar, recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in the world, and Asif, who impressed with his performance against India in the Karachi Test, form the spearhead of the Pakistani bowling attack.
"It is not going to change our strategy greatly because I believe that cricket is a team game. We have two, three good bowlers in the reserves, who will come in as replacements for Shoaib and Asif," the captain said, without confirming the names of the bowlers.
Both the coach and captain though expressed confidence and said the team would be able to bury the recent controversies and bounce back with a strong performance in the competition.
"We have to get on with the cricket. We haven't discussed anything with the team right now but we will have a chat. The team has to take any adversity in its stride and get on with the game. That's what we are paid for," added Woolmer.
The Englishman said his experience with the Pakistan cricket team had been unique and the only thing that tied him down to the job even after so many controversies was his passion for the game.
"I have learnt a lot from this experience. I know that with the PCB no matter what happens today, tomorrow is still a mystery. A lot of thoughts cross your mind when things like these happen but the thing that keeps me going is the love for cricket."
"Tomorrow when we go out and play Sri Lanka I will be the most excited person. By playing good cricket we need to stop the hurricanes that keep knocking the house down. We have to deal with it."
Woolmer denied commenting on Shoaib, who has had a chequered career marked by allegations for chucking and ball-tampering.
