January 12, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 02,1429

KARACHI, Jan 11: Pakistan has officially asked cricket’s governing body to change the result of The Oval Test that was awarded to England on forfeit two years ago, officials said on Friday.

“The matter was raised at the ICC Executive Committee meeting last year and has been passed to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Cricket Committee, which will take up the matter during its meeting in May this year,” a senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, who chose not to be named, said.

The fourth and final Test of the series played in August 2006 was awarded to England after Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq refused to take the field following allegations of ball-tampering against his team.Pakistan blamed Australian umpire Darrell Hair for the fiasco and campaigned for his removal from the ICC Elite Panel of umpires. The ICC later stopped posting Hair in international matches.

The PCB official said Pakistan had made the application last year and wanted the result changed to abandoned or drawn.

“We have made the application to the ICC and hope for a favourable result at the next Cricket Committee meeting,” the official added.He further said that England supported Pakistan’s case when it was discussed at the ICC executive board meeting last year.

“We have moved the application on the basis of the ICC dropping the ball-tampering charges against our team,” he stated.

Inzamam, who retired from international cricket last year, recently urged the PCB to press for the result change.

“Pakistan should take the lead from the Indian board and press for the reversal of The Oval Test forfeit because Pakistan was cleared of the ball-tampering charges and it was due to those allegations that we refused to play,” Inzamam was quoted as saying in the Pakistani media this week.

He was referring to India’s complaints about the performance of veteran West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor in the Sydney Test last week, which saw him axed for the next Test in Perth.—AFP