There goes the World Cup!

If you've known me even remotely, you know I have somewhat of a passion for cricket, especially anything pertaining to my beloved Pakistani team. And if you've read my blog or read the odd newspaper, you would have heard of Pakistan's bowling spearheads testing positive for nandrolone in their systems last October. After being given 1 and 2 year bans, they were overturned by an appelate committee. I'm afraid it was all in vain though, as this morning I discovered that neither will be participating in the upcoming World Cup.

The Pakistan team did it's own internal drug testing for the World Cup last week and they were 2 of the 15 that did not take their tests. The reason given was that they were nursing injuries and receiving treatment abroad. Media reports suggested that they were seeking medical advice to ascertain whether or not traces of nandrolone remained in their systems. It is believed that by claiming injury and pulling out, the players avoided testing positive again - which would call for a lifetime ban.

I'm saddened by this as it really dents their chances. They already lost one of their pinch hitters in Abdul Razzaq (who got injured after being hit by a ball in the knee). What's worse is that the replacements aren't exactly up to scratch - at least Mohammad Sami isn't!

The one positive I can take out of this is that it gives otherwise disenfranchised players the chance to show that they're deserving of a spot on the team. I'm still heading into cautious though. It's why I love this team, you really never know what you're going to get from them. It's ALWAYS a day-to-day thing!