Asif in reckoning to make Champions Trophy squad

National selectors are expected to gamble with the fitness of pace bowler Mohammad Asif and include him in the 15-member Champions Trophy squad after he was told to attend a training camp for emerging players to prove his fitness.

The pace bowler, who has not played any competitive cricket since July, 2008, has been training at the camp under the supervision of camp commandant Rashid Latif and bowled nine overs in a warm-up match on Monday among the camp trainees.

Rashid, a former Pakistan captain, said the workload of bowling was being increased on Asif and although he was bowling with sharp pace and precision his match fitness still needed to improve.

"The selectors have told me to report back to them on Asif's fitness by August 20. My feeling is while there is no problem with his bowling form he will require 10 days to hit the top fitness level required for a Pakistani player," Rashid added.

The national selectors are due to announce the Champions trophy squad by August 22nd.

Asif (26) has been a top bowler for Pakistan whenever he has played in his short career spanning 11 Tests and 31 one-day internationals with an impressive haul of 51 and 36 wickets.

But since 2006 he has been embroiled in numerous controversies. He tested positive along with Shoaib Akhtar during an out-of-competition doping test carried out by the Pakistan board before the Champions Trophy in India.

He was then involved in a brawl with Akhtar in 2007 before the T20 World Cup in South Africa and last year spent 19-days in detention in Dubai for possession of minimum quantity of opium.

He also tested positive during a dope test carried out in the Indian Premier League last year when he played for Delhi Daredevils and the IPL drugs inquiry tribunal has imposed a 12-month ban on him which ends on September 22 the day the Champions trophy begins in South Africa.

Asif was fined Rs 1 million by the PCB for his Dubai incident but Rashid said he is now trying sincerely to make a strong comeback.

"I have spoken to him and I think he has learnt his lessons. He is determined not repeat those mistakes again and wants to make a big comeback for his country in the Champions trophy," Rashid said.

Sources said while the national selectors were more or less willing to pick Asif in the final squad even if he was not 100 per cent fit. But there are issues with captain Younis Khan who has made it clear he will not tolerate any player in his team who does not meet the required fitness standards set out for a Pakistan player.