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| August 27, 2006 | Sunday | Sha'aban 2, 1427 |
‘Pakistan should move court’
LAHORE, Aug 26: Assailing the PCB and team management for mishandling the ball tampering issue, former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Khalid Mahmood, said the only option left with Pakistan was to move a court of law.
“There is no need to wait for the ICC hearing as Pakistan will not get any benefit from it.
“Instead of adopting a regretful course, the PCB should deal with it aggressively and take umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove, match-referee and the ICC to court,” Khalid, who as manager of Pakistan team had dealt with a similar situation in England in 1992 series, told reporters on Saturday.
“The umpires have no evidence to support their claim, no one will accept their judgment and Pakistan would come out victorious,” Khalid added.
Criticising the ‘blunder’ of continuing to play till tea break, he said Inzamam should have questioned the umpires then and there about any evidence they had to support their claim.
“The team continued to play after facing the penalty and took a decision at the tea time which was wrong,” he believed.
The former PCB chief lashed out at tour manager Zaheer Abbas for not taking immediate action against the umpires.
“Zaheer should have been in match referee's room immediately after the incident to lodge a strong protest and should have tried to convince him.”
Khalid, however, exempted coach Bob Woolmer from the entire incident, saying it was total responsibility of the manager.
He said Shaharyar M. Khan, who was also present in the ground, failed to take any prompt decision and remained busy in negotiations with the England and Wales Cricket Board, David Morgan, to settle the issue whereas the responsibility of resuming play lay on the match referee and the two umpires.
“That was the most shocking moment for me and the whole nation when the PCB chairman after meeting with Morgan sent the Pakistan team into the ground without seeing the umpires who had already abandoned the match.”
Khalid felt the PCB was still at fault by not registering a written complaint with the ICC.
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