October 02, 2006	Monday	Ramazan 8, 1427

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AS the dust settles on Darrell Hair’s mischief and another stoic performance from Inzy, the mind goes back to the time when a young Inzamam-ul-Haq was first thrust into the glare of history.

It was Ramazan then too, as it is now. The end of New Zealand’s innings coincided with sehri time in Pakistan but the mood was bleak. Eden Park has a short boundary, but this was 1992 and 263 was still a stiff target. By the time the first roza hunger pangs hit, Pakistan had stumbled through 35 overs to reach 140 for 4, and faced yet another World Cup semi-final defeat.

From the non-striker's end, Javed Miandad made his famous gesture of essaying a left-handed stroke, a signal asking Imran to send in Wasim Akram.

Instead, out stepped an unknown named Inzamam. Little did we know this wisp of a lad with a dumbstruck look and awkward bearing was to be Miandad's successor in Pakistan’s hallowed lineage of batting anchors.

Ever since that unforgettable day, Inzy has seldom let us down. He has come through again at the Oval now, performing brilliantly in two outings on either side of a five-week media storm.

Different Pakistan captains would have handled it differently; Inzy did it in his own way.

Imran would have marched off right then and there and not sat down until he had filed a civil action lawsuit.

Miandad would also have seethed from insult but, a master at having his cake and eating it too, he would have seen Pakistan to victory in the Test match, made a few strategic phone calls to Indian friends, and then told the PCB to threaten the ICC with an Asian bloc. Wasim Akram would have talked Darrell Hair straight out of it — Arre, what ball-tampering Darrell bhai? Here, let me explain — and that would have been the end of it.

Inzy handled the situation the way he knows best — with a straight bat. Upright, deeply moral and utterly fearless, he simply refused to accept so blatant an injustice. There was so much forcing him into pragmatism. Taking a stand demanded enormous gumption. At the very least, it meant taking on the might of the ICC and violating two centuries of cricket tradition. Inzy was having none of it. His only concession to pragmatism was to wait until tea.

Going up against a vast authority structure is never easy, and success depends on help from unexpected quarters.

The biggest unexpected help Pakistan got was from Hair himself. First it was the ludicrous decision itself, which immediately evoked a sympathetic reaction from the Sky Television commentary team, and set the tone for subsequent media coverage.

Then there was Hair’s stunning offer to resign in exchange for half a million dollars. It is the kind of pathetic reasoning for which there is even a psychiatric term – magical thinking, meaning it would only work in a world of magic and make-believe.

Let us not be fooled, however, that this would have been enough. Hair is Australian, the ICC's top management cadre is Australian, and Australian players and officials emerged as Hair's most vocal supporters in this crisis. Only one weapon could have countered this Australian axis – money.

India generates 60% of the ICC’s revenues. When the Indian board conveyed its distaste for Hair in the build-up to the hearings, it must have sent a chill down ICC’s spine.

The Empire has long benefited from India and Pakistan fighting each other; this time it caught a glimpse of possible ramifications if the two nations closed ranks. It was only a glimpse, but it was enough.

Still, the Empire was determined to strike back, yet it soon discovered that time and cricket has moved on. Credit goes to the PCB for being fully behind Inzamam and sparing no expense in retaining top legal representation. Even President Musharraf spoke on the phone with Inzy in the Oval dressing room and backed him.

These actions ensured national unity from the start and must have provided Inzy and the Pakistan campaign with the kind of steely conviction and mental security whose true benefits cannot even be measured.

The final outcome of all this fuss – Pakistan cleared of ball-tampering charges and Inzy banned for four ODIs — is a terrific victory for Pakistan. If anyone is feeling glum at why Inzy should be penalized at all, they simply have to consider the bounties from this judgment and it will put them in a good mood.

A new precedent has been set as for the first time ever an unjust umpiring decision was nullified after it did not stand up to scrutiny. Umpires often make unintentional mistakes but there is overwhelming circumstantial evidence that every now and then they also cheat.

Honest umpires have nothing to fear, but this precedent is sure to keep cheating umpires on their toes for a long time to come.

Being formally cleared of ball-tampering charges also brings a kind of closure for Pakistan, who have struggled with these allegations for over a decade.

The burden of proof had always been on the accusers, but that didn’t stop them from repeating the charges often, leaving Pakistani players and fans feeling hurt and defenceless.

Fate finally handed Pakistan a forum to try and defend itself against this charge, and Pakistan has availed this opportunity with glee.

Darrell Hair, meanwhile, has been left to lick his wounds. Beleaguered and demonized, his state of mental anguish is evident from the petulance and testiness with which he handled the press conference after the hearings.

While Inzy returned to the warm embrace of a grateful and proud nation, Hair makes a pitiful appeal for privacy and contemplates being left out in the cold.

Perhaps this adversity will help clear his head and he will finally realize the enormity of his miscalculation with Pakistan.

The PCB has made its position clear: they don't ever want to see Hair again and would like the ICC to punish him for bringing the game into disrepute.

We can be sure that every Pakistani man, woman and child — and there are 160 million of us — supports that.