MANY of us have forgotten in the scramble to welcome Twenty20 cricket that there is a price to pay. With millions of pounds coming on stream in India and elsewhere, there is bound to be a rise in cheating.

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Cricket will again be exposed to betting corruption and probably to doping, if the discovery that Mohammad Asif took drugs in the Indian Premier League is a guide. The Pakistan seam bowler has been confirmed as the player who tested positive for a banned substance.

The IPL did not disclose the nature of the drug that was found in Asif Mohammad's sample in a random test during his time with Delhi Daredevils. Even if there is an innocent explanation, the affair serves as a wake-up call to international cricket.

Asif, in trouble less than two years ago with banned substances, said he was shocked, and he denied taking any drugs. "I don't know what to do," he said. "I will decide the next course of action only after consultation with the Pakistan Cricket Board."

There will be a two-week delay while a second sample is sent for analysis.