All charges against bowler Mohammad Asif have been dropped by UAE authorities, according to the Pakistan Ambassador in that country.

Reports reaching New Delhi quoted Ambassador Ahsan Ullah Khan as telling reporters that all charges regarding the possession of contraband drugs were dropped on Wednesday and the speedster was given a "clean chit".

Asif was arrested at the Dubai International Airport on Sunday on his way back from India after turning out for the Delhi Daredevils in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League.

A powder was found in his wallet and he was detained on charges of carrying a contraband drug.

The ambassador said that the fast bowler was detained because of a misunderstanding which had been cleared. Asif, he said, would be released soon and would take the first available flight to Pakistan.

Asif was on Monday picked by Pakistani selectors for the tri-series against Bangladesh and India, due to start in Dhaka on June 8.