ICC agrees to change Oval forfeiture to draw

[DomainK]

An agreement in principle is believed to have been reached to change the result of the controversial Oval Test between England and Pakistan in 2006 from an English victory to a draw, following pressure from the Pakistan Cricket Board during the annual ICC meeting in Dubai. The decision will be deemed official and final only after the board meeting concludes on Thursday and if the issue is not revisited before that. "England and Pakistan have agreed to declare the Oval Test as a draw to maintain the dignity of Pakistan in world cricket, especially after the ball-tampering charges were dropped," a source who attended the meeting said. The topic took up a considerable chunk of the morning's proceedings. The Test was originally awarded to England by umpire Darrell Hair after Pakistan did not come out to field after tea on the fourth day, following accusations of ball-tampering. Pakistan had, at the time, been in a strong position in the match, having secured a first-innings lead of 331 and removed four England batsmen second-time around. There was nothing at stake in the series, with England already leading 2-0 after wins at Headingley and Old Trafford, but the eventual forfeiture was the first in the history of Test cricket. The removal of England's win could affect their standing in the ICC Test Championship - they are currently third on 110 points, one ahead of their next opponents, South Africa, on 109. The result had huge off-field ramifications as well. Hair went on to be suspended from the ICC elite panel, and though that decision was overturned last year when he took his employers to the High Court in London, the initial decision formed the basis of Pakistan's appeal for a rethink of the result. A PCB source told PTI: "Members of other boards supported us in our stand that the result should be officially changed to a draw as an ICC adjudicator later found Hair guilty of transgressing his authority and not behaving properly during the entire episode. The board agreed the result should be a draw not a forfeited win for England."

[riya]

Pointless and crappiest decision ICC have ever made .what a joke of an organisation.

[Yuvraj4Captaincy]

fair nuff

[Sachinism]

its a fair decision should have been fixed earlier, but oh well atleast its sorted now

[MalikBrother]

what is the point? Too many deliberate poor decisions against Pakistan from first to third test before Oval test that cost Pakistan the whole series....what;s point now ...aaarrgh !

[nospam]

time to fix sydney test :-p

[Sachinism]

time to fix sydney test :-p

hahah yeh that would be a good idea

[MalikBrother]

time to fix sydney test :-p

That can't ....That test wasn't stopped...that's problem...If we follow your way, then England hasn't won single test matches against Pakistan....That's truth ...Blood umpires :angry_smile::angry_smile:

[Tapioca]

That can't ....That test wasn't stopped...that's problem...

True, but we may still win the 1996 World Cup.

[Feed]

ICC note to all Test captains: the next time you're losing, simply refuse to play on. And don't ... Cricket's rulers effectively wrote a cheats charter yesterday when they wiped out England's controversial 2006 victory over Pakistan at The Oval and redesignated it as a draw.More... ICC note to all Test captains: the next time you're losing, simply refuse to play on. And don't worry, we’ll call it a draw By Chris Foy Last updated at 1:02 AM on 03rd July 2008 Cricket's rulers effectively wrote a cheats charter yesterday when they wiped out England's controversial 2006 victory over Pakistan at The Oval and redesignated it as a draw. On a day when the International Cricket Council board were due to address the pressing Zimbabwe issue at their annual conference, they instead spent several hours debating a Test that ended in farce when Pakistan, outraged at being docked penalty runs for ball-tampering, refused to play on and were deemed to have forfeited the match. The upshot is that a 3-0 series win for England is to be downgraded to 2-0 and a dangerous precedent will be set. Forfeit: umpire Hair removes the bails to end The Oval Test After emerging from eight hours of talks, ICC delegates refused to explain the decision. However, their silence was damaging, as the rationale appears to be at best questionable, at worst non-existent. The events at The Oval rocked world cricket. When umpire Darrell Hair suspected Pakistan of ball-tampering and issued a five-run penalty, Inzamam ul-Haq and his team were so incensed they refused to return to the field after tea. With officials frantically trying to intervene, the standoff continued and eventually Hair removed the bails and declared that Pakistan had forfeited the game, in line with the letter of the law. That lit the fuse for a prolonged period of unrest in the sport, as the tourists threatened to fly home early and Hair was removed from his elite umpire panel duties. Now, the Pakistan Cricket Board - with the help of their allies in the ICC - have contrived to change the course of history and, in theory, open the door to serious abuse of the laws. It gives every incentive for an unscrupulous captain whose team are on the brink of defeat to fabricate an injustice and refuse to play on. He could do so in the knowledge that if an umpire was forced to abandon the match, the sanction would be a draw by default. It is hardly a scenario designed to promote integrity. The ECB were required to abstain from the vote. Pakistan were not. However, one consequence of what the Asian bloc regard as a collective triumph is that it may alter the landscape with regard to the Zimbabwe issue. While the formal debate has yet to begin, the matter has been the sole talking point behind the scenes. What has become apparent is that Zimbabwe will not be suspended on political grounds. Instead, a 'cricketing decision' will be taken. India had remained steadfast in their determination to support Zimbabwe but it emerged last night that in light of the Asian 'victory' over the result at The Oval, the Indian board's appetite for another conflict may be weakening. Furthermore, their government was also said to be under increasing pressure from the British Government to join the stand against the benighted African nation. Should India perform a U-turn, Pakistan and Bangladesh would almost certainly follow suit. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies will side with England and if Zimbabwe are not allowed to participate in the ballot, six votes are required for a resolution. So, with perfect timing, the ECB will announce today that they have reached an agreement for Sri Lanka to visit England next summer in place of Zimbabwe - playing two Tests and three one-day matches. The tour should provide enough of a windfall for the Sri Lankan board to clear their debt of approximately £3million. Financial considerations may also assist the ECB in preventing Zimbabwe from taking part in next year's Twenty20 World Championship at Lord's, The Oval and Trent Bridge. The ICC stand to make close to £15m from gate receipts alone, a figure that could not be matched anywhere else in the world. Ultimately, money, not political considerations, could shape today's decision on Zimbabwe's future.