Islamabad, Sep. 23 : Tainted Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif is set to return to international cricket on Wednesday in the Champions Trophy match against the West Indies.

The Pakistani team is yet to announce the final eleven for the match, but chances are that Asif, whose doping ban expired on Tuesday, would feature in the game.

While both coach Intikhab Alam and captain Younis Khan have already clarified that they are not expecting wonders from Asif, who was once even compared with the Australian great Glenn McGrath, it would be interesting to see whether the team management risks playing a bowler coming out straight from a ban .

“He is coming back after one year and it''s not an easy thing to do. We don''t expect him to take five or six wickets the moment he plays international cricket, it''s not fair,” Khan had said before leaving for South Africa.

Asif was banned from international cricket for one year after failing a dope test. His career had plummeted after he failed a dope test during the Indian Premier League’s
(IPL) inaugural season.

He was also detained at the Dubai airport for 19 days for carrying an illegal substance (opium) while returning from India.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had also slapped a fine of one million rupees on Asif for his Dubai ‘misadventure’. (ANI)