Fast bowler Mohammad Asif has apologised to Pakistan after spending time in a Dubai jail on suspicion of carrying illegal drugs.

He was detained at Dubai airport on June 1 on his way to Pakistan from India after playing in the Indian Premier League.

He was accused of possessing a contraband, but reports said Dubai's public prosecutor decided the case was not significant enough to pursue.

"I was not carrying drugs. Even in Dubai, the tests conducted on me returned negative. There was no trace of dope in my body. I don't use drugs. I have learnt my lesson," said Asif.

This is not the first time that Asif's career has been affected by alleged drug use.

In November 2006 Asif and fellow fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar were banned after testing positive for the performance-enhancing steroid nandrolone.

But a Pakistan Cricket Board tribunal later lifted the suspensions after ruling that neither player had knowingly taken the substance.