Mohammad Asif was sent back to Pakistan after spending several hours in custody

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan pace bowler Mohammad Asif was deported from Dubai airport as he didn’t possess the necessary travel documents to enter the United Arab Emirates.

Asif travelled to Dubai from Lahore to take part in a tape ball cricket tournament in Sharjah, but he was asked to step aside by airport staff after he had been scanned.

He then spent a few hours in custody before immigration officials sent him back to Pakistan.

According to Geo News, who contacted Asif, the 35-year-old told them that he had been granted a special visa to visit Dubai and that the authorities had cleared his name prior to issuing him a visa.

However, when Asif reached the airport, he was asked to present a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he was supposed to receive in Abu Dhabi.

But, since he could not produce the letter, he was refused entry and deported back to Pakistan.

This is not the first time Asif has found himself in hot water at Dubai airport as 10 years ago, he was arrested for carrying opium when returning home after playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He was subsequently detained by police for two weeks before then-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf talked to officials in the United Arab Emirates.

Asif played for the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in the 2017/18 edition of Pakistan’s domestic season. Despite a string of decent performances, he has yet to represent Pakistan since he was banned for five years for his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal that rocked the cricketing community to its core in 2010.