CRICKET:THE COLOURFUL career of Mohammad Asif has taken another twist after the Pakistan fast bowler was named by the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the player who had tested positive for a banned substance.

No stranger to controversy, this latest chapter puts the talented 25-year-old paceman's future in the game in serious doubt.

In November 2006, he was found to have taken the banned steroid nandrolone after failing internal Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) drug tests. Asif, along with Shoaib Akhtar, were handed bans of one and two years respectively by the PCB in November, which were overturned on appeal.

Asif returned to the international scene in 2007, but controversy was just around the corner again. He was involved in an altercation prior to the World Twenty20, during which he was struck with a bat by Shoaib.

Despite an elbow injury slowing the pace of his deliveries, Asif was drafted into the IPL with the Delhi Daredevils as he aimed to continue rebuilding his reputation.

However, this latest scandal may be the final straw when the authorities come to deal with one of the game's most troubled stars.