A DAY embracing confusion and anarchy ended in farce late last night when England were awarded victory in the fourth npower Test against Pakistan. Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove, the umpires, refused to back down having brought the game to an end after Pakistan declined to take the field in protest at a penalty for balltampering.
Almost four hours earlier, a capacity crowd of about 23,000 had left the Brit Oval not knowing whether an intriguing game would continue today. A statement read by David Collier, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive, said that both teams, both boards and Mike Procter, the match referee, had all offered to put the incidents behind them and play.
The matter has cost the ECB about £400,000 in full refunds for the 12,000 tickets sold in advance for today and a 40 per cent refund for yesterday. Pakistan are also likely to suffer as the ICC considers sanctions for becoming the first team to forfeit a Test — though not today as the International Cricket Council (ICC) offices in Dubai are closed for a religious holiday.
However, the joint statement of the ICC, the ECB and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that Procter is to review the decision of Hair and Doctrove to award England five runs for illegally altering the condition of the ball. Shahriyar Khan, the PCB chairman, said that the decision had left the side “deeply aggrieved, upset and insulted”.
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The ball was 56 overs old at about 2.30pm when Hair instigated the change. Pakistan remained in the dressing-room after tea at 4.40 and the umpires then left the field, returning 15 minutes later with the England batsmen. When Pakistan again stayed put, the bails were removed as if symbolising the end of the game.
Law 21 states that a match is lost if the umpires think that one of the sides is refusing to play, but then at about 5.20pm, after a series of emergency meetings involving some of the most senior figures within the ECB and the PCB, Inzamam-ul-Haq finally led his side down the steps.
But he was back indoors with his players some five minutes later as Hair and Doctrove stuck to their belief that the game was over.
Initial talks continued for more than an hour before an announcement that play would not restart. Given the lack of information over the publicaddress system, the behaviour of the crowd was exemplary.
Last night’s statement noted that the umpires were correct to award the game to England, which prompted meetings lasting until after 9 o’clock. Despite being isolated in their stance, the umpires could not be persuaded to change their minds. The result means that England have won the series 3-0 with the Ashes next on the Test agenda.
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Shahriyar challenged officials to produce the ball and provide evidence of cheating. He said: “One or two management staff have seen it and they are convinced it looks like a normal ball that is 55 or 56 overs old. Sixes had been hit and it struck concrete. There is no evidence whatsoever of any deliberate scuffing.
“There should have been sensitivity and deliberation. The team wanted to register a protest and we simply said we would stay indoors for a few minutes. Then Mr Hair and Mr Doctrove came and warned the boys that the match would be forfeited and so on, which led to a further delay. I feel very, very saddened that it should come to this.”
The five one-day internationals and the Twenty20 international at Bristol do not appear to be in doubt. Hair is not officiating in any of them and Shahriyar emphasised that Pakistan have no grievance with England. “I don’t know what is going to happen in the future,” he said. “This match has not been abandoned because of the English board but because of an incident brought to the fore by the umpires.”