Asif eager to get back to cricket field

Forced out of action due to the drug scandals that have rocked his cricket career, embattled Pakistani pacer Mohammad Asif says he is desperate to prove his worth on the field to get over the gloom.

Asif last played cricket when he figured in the inaugural Indian Premier League but is out of action since then as he is battling to get his name cleared in a dope scandal after testing positive for a banned substance in the same tournament.

"I am very disappointed but I will definitely make a comeback in international cricket very soon. I am desperate to play cricket for Pakistan as I have not been able to do so for sometime," Asif told reporters in Lahore, anxiously waiting for a hearing date from the IPL drug tribunal.

Asif has thrice tested positive for nandrolone since 2006 and also spent 19 days in detention in Dubai in June over alleged possession of a banned substance.

The IPL had given Asif a date of August 28 to appear before it in connection with his 'A' and 'B' samples testing positive but both showed variance in the amount of traces of nandrolone found in them.

The discrepancy in the test results has given Asif hope of being cleared of doping charges on technical grounds and his lawyer Shahid Karim is preparing an appeal accordingly.