UK : Pakistan match abandoned because of bad weather.

Pakistan's scheduled one-day tour match with Middlesex on Thursday (August 24) was abandoned because of bad weather. The match had been in doubt earlier in the week because of a ball-tampering controversy during the fourth and final test against England, which was eventually forfeited by Pakistan. But the touring party, who take on England in five one-day internationals starting next Wednesday, turned up to play against the county side only to be thwarted by rain and thick grey clouds. Meanwhile, Pakistani members of parliament on Thursday backed embattled cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and his team in their ball-tampering row with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Australian umpire Darrell Hair. Members of parliament called on the government to intervene in the controversy that erupted on Sunday when Hair and fellow umpire Billy Doctrove imposed a five-run penalty on Pakistan for ball tampering in the fourth and final test against England. Inzamam and his men then refused to resume play after tea at The Oval. The umpires awarded the match to England and the ICC has charged Inzamam with bringing the game into disrepute, for which there is a maximum ban of eight one-day internationals and four tests. The disciplinary hearing into the charges against Inzamam has been postponed due to the unavailability of adjudicator, Sri Lankan Ranjan Madugalle. No new date has been announced. Cricket is followed religiously in the country of 160 million people and support for Inzamam and his team has been widespread with rallies of support and protests against Hair in several cities. Effigies of the Australian umpire have been burnt. Pakistan team manager Zaheer Abbas said on Wednesday the one-day series starting next week would go ahead but some question marks remained over the schedule.

ITN Source | August 24, 2006

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