Holding quits ICC over Oval change as Zimbabwe remain

Michael Holding quit cricket committee of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in protest at the ICC's decision, taken at its board meeting in Dubai, to change the result of the 2006 Oval Test from an England win over Pakistan to a draw.

Pakistan were originally ruled to have forfeited the match, something never before seen in a Test, following their refusal to take the field after tea on the fourth day having previously been penalised five runs for ball-tampering by umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove.

A subsequent hearing cleared Pakistan of ball-tampering and, on Thursday, the ICC took the extraordinary step of altering the match result.

The West Indies former fast bowler Holding, while accepting Pakistan were not guilty of ball-tampering, said their refusal to play should not go unpunished.

"When you take certain actions, you must be quite happy to suffer the consequences,"

he said while commentating for a TV channel on Friday during Kent's semi-final win over Durham in English cricket's domestic 50-over event.

"I have just written my letter of resignation to the ICC cricket committee because I cannot agree with what they've done.

"A lot of things that are happening today I don't want to be involved with, so I've moved on."

Holding's announcement set the seal on a turbulent week for the ICC which saw England and South Africa pushing for the suspension of strife-torn Zimbabwe from world cricket.

But the Asian bloc -- led by the game's commercial powerhouse India -- opposed the move.

Instead a compromise was reached which saw Zimbabwe pull out of next year's World Twenty20 in England.

That move came after the British government had made it clear it would not issue visas to Zimbabwean cricketers, thereby effectively cancelling their scheduled tour of England in 2009.

Had Zimbabwe insisted on its right to participate, the lucrative tournament could have been moved elsewhere although that in turn could have led to a boycott by England and other leading nations.

Meanwhile concerns have been raised regarding the finances of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC).

Malcolm Speed effectively stepped down early from his post as ICC chief executive because of the board's failure to take action on the back of an audit by leading accountants KPMG, said to have noted "serious financial irregularities" in ZC's books.

But incoming ICC president David Morgan, formerly the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, told reporters in Dubai:

"The full membership of Zimbabwe is currently not in doubt. There was not even a discussion on the issue of Zimbabwe's membership."

ICC agrees to change Oval forfeiture to draw

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."

Inzamam served summons in Oval law suit

Inzamam-ul-Haq, former Pakistan captain, has been served witness summons by a London tribunal following umpire Darrel Hair's suing of the ICC and the Pakistan board for racial discrimination in the aftermath of the Oval controversy.

Interestingly, if Inzamam had remained in Pakistan rather than play county cricket - he is playing for Yorkshire - the tribunal would not have had the power to call him.

"The summons will compel his [Inzamam's] attendance for cross-examination at the Central Office of London Tribunals next month,"

according to a report published in the Times. Hair, who remains on the ICC's Elite panel, was banned from officiating international matches in the aftermath of the Oval saga. It was then that Hair had decided to sue ICC on charges of racial discrimination.

Pakistan team was charged with ball tampering by Hair in the fourth Test against England at The Oval last year. Inzamam, who was the captain of the side, refused to take the field in protest following which the match was awarded to England.

"Hair's lawyer Finers Stephens Innocent wrote to Inzamam requesting his attendance, but did not receive a reply. The summon was served in the presence of Stewart Regan, the chief executive of Yorkshire, for whom Inzamam is playing,"

the report said.

"He now has to decide whether to fly back to Pakistan and return to England before the hearing commences on October 1, or stay in London,"

it said.

Hair will be represented by Robert Griffiths, Queen's Counsel and MCC cricket and general committee member, and he is likely to call upon fellow umpire Billy Doctrove with whom he stood at The Oval. Also expected to appear on Hair's behalf are John Jameson, former assistant secretary of MCC, and Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies captain.

"I am looking forward to having the case heard, and to exercise my rights under the laws of the UK," Hair said. "I am not looking too far ahead and will take stock and make decisions after the hearing is completed."

The hearing is expected to last two weeks.

England and Pakistan boards settle Oval claims

The England and Pakistan cricket boards have finally settled the ECB's compensation claims relating to the forfeited Oval Test in August 2006. The agreement means that Pakistan will play a Twenty20 match in England in 2012 and waive the fee.
Both boards also agreed that the proposed tour of Pakistan by England in 2010 would be postponed until January 2012 and would contain three Tests and five one-day matches. Pakistan will then stage a return tour in July-August of the same year. The forfeiture occurred when the Pakistan team, penalised for ball-tampering by umpire Darrell Hair, refused to take the field for the post-tea session on the fourth day. England were awarded the match with a day to spare. The ECB had asked the PCB to pay damages worth $1.3 million for the lost fifth day, a request the Pakistan Board Rejected.
David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said that the decision to push back the dates had been taken since otherwise England's overloaded schedule that season would not allow for three Tests and five ODIs against Pakistan. "The meetings with PCB demonstrated the goodwill and desire of both boards to find a cricketing solution to the issues arising from the Oval Test match," Collier said. "Rescheduling the tour results in a significantly lighter schedule for our players in 2010." He added that the Twenty20 match would greatly benefit the ECB which will withdraw its compensation claims once the PCB confirmed the arrangements.