Mohammad Asif has been detained, and not arrested, after a powder was found in his wallet at Dubai International Airport.

PCB's human resources manager Nadeem Akram told an Indian television news channel over phone from Dubai that Asif "has not been arrested, he has been detained at Dubai airport.

"Apparently it was some drugs given to him by a doctor. It was a very small quantity, it was in his wallet. A small bit of powder.

"It is a medicine given to him by a hakeem in Dubai. It had been given to him some 5-6 months ago and he had forgotten about it," Akram added.

Fast bowler Asif, in the Pakistan squad for the tri-series against Bangladesh and India which begins this weekend, is yet to be cleared of the charges and the PCB is liasioning with the embassy officials in Dubai to sort out the matter.

If found guilty, Asif could be punished with a jail sentence of four weeks to one year.

This is not the first time that Asif has been in trouble. He was banned along with Shoaib Akhtar for testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid, Nandralone, just before the ICC Champions Trophy on October 16, 2006.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had then handed him a one-year suspension.