The International Cricket Council (ICC) today endorsed the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) decision to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the lifting of the bans on Pakistan players Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif.

Adherence to Spirit of Cricket and continued strong stance against drugs in sport through WADA compliance among the many plusses.

ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said: “The current ICC Champions Trophy is our first tournament since we became signatories to the WADA Code and it has presented us with some challenging issues.

ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed today urged every ICC Full Member not already conducting regular drug tests on its players to do so in order to ensure the sport stays on top of the issue.

ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed today made the following comments after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that it was withdrawing two players, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, from the ICC Champions Trophy following positive drugs tests.

The ICC Board ended the super-sub trial ODI playing condition, adopted a new pitch-monitoring process, endorsed an anti-doping policy and received a report from the Chairman of the Interim Committee of Zimbabwe Cricket on day one of its meeting in Dubai.

Among the important issues to be addressed by the ICC Executive Board at its meeting in Dubai from 20-21 March will be the Future Tours Program, Zimbabwe, anti-doping, anti-racism, a proposed pitch monitoring process, ODI playing conditions and ICC Champions Trophy 2006 venues.

Players or officials breaching the anti doping policy put in place for September’s ICC Champions Trophy will face bans of up to two years from the game, along with financial penalties the ICC announced today.