|
|
An agreement in principle is believed to have been reached to change the result
of the controversial Oval Test between England and Pakistan in 2006 from an
English victory to a draw, following pressure from the Pakistan Cricket Board
during the annual ICC meeting in Dubai. The decision will be deemed official and
final only after the board meeting concludes on Thursday and if the issue is not
revisited before that.
"England and Pakistan have agreed to declare the Oval Test as a draw to maintain
the dignity of Pakistan in world cricket, especially after the ball-tampering
charges were dropped," a source who attended the meeting said. The topic took up
a considerable chunk of the morning's proceedings.
The Test was originally awarded to England by umpire Darrell Hair after Pakistan
did not come out to field after tea on the fourth day, following accusations of
ball-tampering.
Pakistan had, at the time, been in a strong position in the match, having
secured a first-innings lead of 331 and removed four England batsmen second-time
around. There was nothing at stake in the series, with England already leading
2-0 after wins at Headingley and Old Trafford, but the eventual forfeiture was
the first in the history of Test cricket. The removal of England's win could
affect their standing in the ICC Test Championship - they are currently third on
110 points, one ahead of their next opponents, South Africa, on 109.
The result had huge off-field ramifications as well. Hair went on to be
suspended from the ICC elite panel, and though that decision was overturned last
year when he took his employers to the High Court in London, the initial
decision formed the basis of Pakistan's appeal for a rethink of the result. |
|
|
