ISLAMABAD, Oct 11: The new chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, David Morgan, said on Wednesday that the Pakistani players had heeded his advice to resume the Oval Test last year but umpires Hair and Doctrove thwarted the bid to continue the match.

Morgan said he was struck by the “petrified” expressions on Pakistan players’ faces when he visited their dressing room in the lead-up to the forfeiture of the fourth Test against England at the Oval in August last year.

At an employment tribunal in London, Morgan described how he was sucked into the furore after noticing umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove changing the ball, which he at once realised meant an allegation of tampering would be made against Pakistan, according to a report published in Daily Telegraph newspaper of London.

When he eventually saw the bails being lifted with no fielding team in view, Morgan went to speak to Shaharyar Khan, then chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, who told him that Inzamam-ul-Haq had refused to take his team on the field even though the team’s management wanted to play.

Morgan then offered to speak to Inzamam and his advice was accepted. “I made my way into the Pakistan dressing room and sat on the bench next to Inzamam, surrounded by 14 other Pakistan players and a Pakistan team management. All of the Pakistan team looked petrified,” he said.

Morgan reminded the captain of their charity work together and quietly warned him that the event could turn into a huge controversy. “I then said that I would leave the dressing room and that he should think about taking his players on to the field,” Morgan added. “They did so shortly afterwards, but no umpires appeared.” —APP