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UAE batter Asif Khan handed 15-month doping ban; Asia Cup stats also annulled
United Arab Emirates (UAE) senior batter Asif Khan has been banned from all forms of cricket for 15 months after being found guilty of using a banned substance. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced this in an official statement on Thursday.
A metabolite of 'Mesterolone' was detected in a sample provided by the 36-year-old Asif Khan during an out-of-competition test conducted in September 2025. He has admitted to violating Article 2.1 of the ICC Anti-Doping Code.
Ban and Return Timeline
- Ban Duration: The ban is effective from September 8, 2025, and will remain in force until December 7, 2026.
- Training and Matches: He will be permitted to train with the team or use club facilities starting October 8, 2026; however, his return to competitive cricket will only be possible from December 8, 2026.
- No Right to Appeal: The player accepted the sanction under a 'Case Resolution Agreement' with WADA and the ICC, meaning he cannot appeal against the decision.
Annulled Statistics and Records
All individual performances, medals, points, and prize money earned by Asif between September 8, 2025, and December 29, 2025 (the date of his provisional suspension), have been declared void (disqualified).
This includes three matches played against India, Oman, and Pakistan during the 2025 T20 Asia Cup, which will be expunged from his official international record.Asif, a former Pakistan Under-19 cricketer, made his debut for the UAE in March 2022; by the time the ban was imposed, he had played 38 ODIs and 56 T20 Internationals.
What happens next?
He has been sidelined since December 2025. While he can resume training with a team starting October 8 of this year, he must wait until December 8, 2026, to play international or any form of competitive cricket again.
