Veteran Pakistan pacer deported from the Dubai airport

The problems do not seem to end for controversial Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif. The pacer has been out of action from higher levels of cricket for quite some time. Recently, he signed up for a tape ball cricket tournament in the UAE. He was expected to lead a side in the competition. Asif had also expressed his excitement about his participation in the tournament recently.

However, the pacer failed to reach Sharjah recently. He was deported at the Dubai airport as he was unable to furnish the authorization letters to the security officials. The last time Mohammad Asif visited Dubai was 10 years ago. Back then, he was travelling to Pakistan via Dubai after a successful stint in the Indian Premier League. At the airport, he was found carrying opium, an illegal substance.

Following this, the Dubai police kept him in custody for two weeks. Later, he was released by the police when the then Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Naseem Ashraf spoke to the officials in the UAE and requested to let Asif go. Now, as per the recent reports in Geo.tv, Mohammad Asif arrived in Dubai from Lahore. He was en route Sharjah to participate in the tape ball tournament.

No authorization letter

At the airport, the officials asked him to step aside for scanning. The immigration authorities kept him in their custody for hours before sending him back to Pakistan. Reportedly, Mohammad Asif had a special visa to visit Dubai. However, he was asked to furnish a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was expected to get from Abu Dhabi.

He did not have that authorization letter, and hence, despite having his visa cleared, he could not travel to Sharjah. Asif is infamous for his involvement in the spot fixing scandal of 2010. He had served a suspension of five years following the same. However, he is yet to make a comeback in the national side. Furthermore, he has found no takers in the Pakistan Super League as well in the three editions held thus far.

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