Asif gearing up for Test series in New Zealand

Karachi, Nov 22 (IANS) Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif is hoping to make an emphatic showing in the three-match Test series against New Zealand starting in Dunedin from Tuesday.

Asif, who returned to international cricket in the ICC Champions Trophy after serving a one-year ban for doping, said that the break has proved a blessing in disguise for him.

"I'm sad for having lost almost two years of my career because in modern-day cricket, fast bowlers do not normally have long careers," he told Deutsche Welle in an interview.

"But I must also say that the break came as a blessing in disguise for me as it has helped me to overcome my fitness problems," he said.

Asif, 26, last played a Test against South Africa at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore over two years ago before injury and drug scandals forced him out of international cricket.

"I was suffering from elbow Injury at that time. Had I not rested that long, maybe my career would have been over. Now I am fully fit again and have recovered from the injury," he said.

Asif, who has taken 51 wickets in 11 Tests and 38 from 32 One-day Internationals, said that playing in New Zealand was always his dream.

"The pitches in New Zealand will definitely suit my bowling and now I am geared up to play a lead role in the Test series like the way I did in 2006 against India, Sri Lanka, England and South Africa," he said.

"Before coming to New Zealand, I played five first-class matches which helped me regain my rhythm and form."

Asif missed this month's limited-overs series against New Zealand in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as he was not allowed to travel to the UAE because of his deportation from Dubai last year. 

Asif was detained in Dubai after being caught at the airport with a small quantity of opium. He was deported by the UAE authorities who declared that the quantity of the drug was 'insufficient' to prosecute the player.