UNITED KINGDOM / PAKISTAN: CRICKET - Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer expresses his sadness at having to forfeit the Fourth Test against England due to the ball-tampering row also reaction in Pakistan

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer said on Monday (August 21) that he was disappointed that the Fourth Test match against England was forfeited due to the ball-tampering storm. Speaking the morning after England were awarded the fourth and final test after Pakistan, Woolmer expressed his sadness at what had happened at The Oval. "Just disappointed for everyone, disappointed for the public, disappointed for the Pakistan team and disappointed for cricket really, I just think it's a really sad episode in the game of cricket. Its happened and we can't do anything about it, we can't bring it back," he said. Woolmer said that the Pakistan side were aware of the consequences of their decision not to return to the field, but felt they had to make a statement. "Obviously forfeiting the game is not a good result for us but we understand that what we did in protest that was going to happen, so I think we knew what we were doing, but we're very sorry, we wanted to play but the inference of what happened was unacceptable." Pakistan refused to return to the field after tea on day four at The Oval after Darrell Hair and fellow umpire Billy Doctrove had earlier imposed a five-run penalty against them for ball-tampering and changed the ball. When Pakistan did later take to the field, the umpires did not appear, leading to extensive negotiations that ended with the abandonment almost six hours after the drama began. England win the four-test series 3-0. Pakistan's forfeiture is unprecedented in test history. "In accordance with the laws of cricket it was noted that the umpires had correctly deemed that Pakistan had forfeited the match and awarded the test to England," read a statement on behalf of the International Cricket Council, England and Wales Cricket Board and the Pakistan Cricket Board. "The Pakistan team was aggrieved by the award of five penalty runs to England. The award of those penalty runs for alleged interference with the ball is under review by the ICC match referee Mike Procter, whose report will be considered in due course." Pakistan's players, on course for a face-saving win, had been stunned during the afternoon session when the umpires took action. They continued playing until tea, with England on 298 for four in their second innings and still 33 runs shy of making Pakistan bat again, when the fiasco exploded. Hair, who has been involved in several controversies with teams from the sub-continent in the past, and Doctrove walked out to the middle alone, then returned to the pavilion as Pakistan's players staged a protest by remaining in the dressing room. The umpires walked out again 15 minutes later, this time followed by England batsmen Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell, but Pakistan again failed to show. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal was clearly visible reading a newspaper without his pads on. The situation took a new turn around 45 minutes after the scheduled restart when Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq led his side out, then straight back in as the umpires this time stayed away. Umpires have the right to award a match to the opposition if they deem a side had refused to continue playing. Pakistan were aggrieved when the umpires ruled the ball had been tampered after Alastair Cook had been bowled by a reverse-swinging yorker from pace bowler Umar Gul. Inzamam became embroiled in a heated exchange with the umpires before the England batsmen at the crease, Kevin Pietersen and Collingwood, were allowed to choose a replacement ball. The incident has caused uproar in cricket-mad Pakistan, many locals accusing Darrell Hair of being biased. Headlines in Urdu newspapers in Karachi carried news of the incident on the front page. "Pakistan team looked in excellent form. As you saw in the fourth test, the batting performance was good, the bowling performance was also good, but some Australian umpires like Darrell Hair are always against Pakistan (team). That's why they imposed allegations of ball-tampering and they awarded a match to England that was won by Pakistan," said a student Annus. "Darrell Hair is the most racist and the most biased umpires in the world. Whenever he gets the chance he, like, targets Pakistani players only. We know from the Shoaib Akhtar experience that he just wants to, you know, ban all Pakistani talent," said Dr. Zakir, a resident of Karachi. Hair first hit the headlines when he called Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in Australia in 1995-6.

ITN Source | August 22, 2006

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