LONDON, Sept 30: The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) chief referee Ranjan Madugalle has warned that umpires must do their utmost to prevent another forfeited Test. Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove ruled the Oval Test as forfeited when Pakistan cricket team refused to come out to face England after a penalty for ball-tampering early last month.

Madugalle, the ICC adjudicator at Inzamam-ul-Haq's disciplinary hearing this week, cleared the Pakistan captain on Thursday of changing the condition of the ball.

On Saturday, a stern warning followed the two-day hearing from the former Sri Lankan batsman when he said umpires should, "do everything possible to defuse tensions by explaining that a team is entitled to raise any grievance through the ICC.

"It is not in the interests of the game for the team to interrupt play,” he said.

In the wake of The Oval row, his comments will be seen as implicit criticism of the umpires at the centre of the furore. "In my judgment, a difficult and sensitive situation such as that which arose in the present case requires handling with tactful diplomacy as well as firm adherence to the laws," Madugalle added.

He also suggested the umpires "should not return to the field of play and then declare the match to be forfeited unless and until they are absolutely sure that the team is refusing to play the rest of the match.

"All other options should first be exhausted, involving discussions with the team captains and management."

Australian umpire Hair, singled out by Pakistan as being responsible for the controversy, has been pulled out of the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy and his career appears in doubt. Doctrove, Hair’s fellow umpire at the fourth Test, emerged from the hearing and said only: "I'm still an umpire.”—Agencies