Asif case adjourned again

The Mohammad Asif saga has been prolonged for five months without a resolution

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The Indian Premier League drugs tribunal has adjourned a hearing on Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif's appeal without delivering a verdict.

Asif tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone during the inaugural edition of the IPL in May last year.

The 26-year-old was banned from all forms of cricket by the Pakistan Cricket Board immediately after the results of the test were made public in July.

Asif had requested for his 'B' sample to be tested which also returned a positive result for the drug.

Asif was then asked to appear before an IPL drugs panel comprising former India Test captain Sunil Gavaskar, Dr Ravi Bapat and lawyer Shirish Gupte and a hearing was held on October 11.

The tribunal members adjourned that meeting without deciding on a verdict and scheduled a second meeting for November 29 which was postponed until today due to the Mumbai terror attacks.

Today's adjournment will further prolong a case that has now lasted five months without resolution.

"No decision has been taken and the tribunal will meet again," Gupte said after today's hearing.

It remains unclear whether a final decision will be made tomorrow, which was assigned as a reserve day for the hearing, or if the tribunal will fix a fresh date.