Shoaib Ahktar and Mohammed Asif have played for Pakistan over the past few months despite testing positive for prohibited substances last year Malcolm Speed

The International Cricket Council says it will step up its drug-testing procedures at the World Cup.

It follows the "embarrassment" caused by Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, who played for Pakistan a few months after testing positive for nandrolone.

The ICC has decided to target-test individual players, in addition to conducting random tests on others.

Chief executive Malcolm Speed said: "We want to make absolutely sure players are free from banned substances."

Shoaib and Asif have been pulled out of Pakistan's squad at the last moment with injuries.

All players in the squad had to submit themselves for doping tests ordered by their national cricket board.

Shoaib and Asif both tested positive for nandrolone last September but had lengthy doping bans quashed on appeal in December after claiming they had not knowingly taken the banned substance.

The World Anti-Doping Agency is in turn contesting that appeal result in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Around seven hours before it was announced that Shoaib and Asif would miss the World Cup, the ICC made clear its indication that players suspected of taking drugs would be signalled out in the West Indies, where the World Cup starts on 13 March.

It is extremely unlikely that the tournament technical committee would allow a replacement if a player is banned as a result of [a doping] charge Malcolm Speed

In a statement, the ICC said: "These target tests will be in addition to ICC's commitment to randomly test four players - two from each side - in 17 of the tournament's 51 matches."

It added that the target tests "may take place at any time from 2 March onwards" - the day by which all teams are due to arrive in the Caribbean.

Speed said: "Both Shoaib Ahktar and Mohammed Asif have played for Pakistan over the past few months despite testing positive for prohibited substances last year.

"That is a fact neither player has disputed and it is also a fact that has caused the game a high level of embarrassment as a result.

"From an ICC perspective, having the option to target test as well as the already-scheduled tests in place means that if a player does have anything in his system then there is a very strong possibility he will be caught out.

"If that happens he will face a charge under the ICC Code of Conduct and his team mates will also suffer because it is extremely unlikely that the tournament technical committee would allow a replacement if a player is banned as a result of such a charge."