LONDON, Sept 29: Controversial Australian umpire Darrell Hair was only “guessing” when he decided to penalise Pakistan for ball-tampering, during fourth Test against England at The Oval, according to TV analyst Simon Hughes.

He gave evidence at the ICC hearing in which Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq was cleared of altering the condition of the ball.

“The problem was Hair was guessing, using the flimsiest evidence. The marks on the ball were not blatant enough for the drastic measures Hair took,” former Middlesex and Durham seam bowler Hughes commented.

The decision taken by Hair and fellow umpire Billy Doctrove ultimately led to fourth Test between England and Pakistan at The Oval coming to a premature end.

Pakistan players were so upset at a five-run penalty being imposed, they failed to take the field promptly after tea interval and two officials then decided to award the match to England by forfeit.

Writing in Daily Telegraph, Hughes said when he examined the ball it was in “pretty good condition. There were a number of small abrasions on rough side, fairly typical of normal wear and tear on a deteriorating Test pitch.

“The only thing that looked slightly suspicious was a number of slightly curved striations concentrated on one area. I concluded those could have been man-made scratches but there was no way I could be sure. There was no hard evidence of ball-tampering.”—Agencies