Islamabad: Amidst all the self-righteous support that Pakistan is receiving at home for displaying "constraint" at Oval last Sunday, a Pakistani cricket commentator has pointed out that the team's protest during the day's play was not endorsed by the rules governing the game.
Writing in The Nation, Muhammad Asim has said that not only skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq and his players but also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) bigwigs present at Oval were "ignorant" about the rules.
"They even failed to deploy the tricks of diplomacy, which they had been professing throughout their career, until they decided to mess up with Pakistan cricket," Asim says.
"One fails to understand why the protest was launched in between the day's play when there is no support for this action in the book. This could have been better done after stumps. Ill-knowledge of the laws of the game is nothing new to Inzamam or even Pakistan cricket. But it was also made sure on Sunday that none of the PCB gurus, loitering in the balcony with mobile phones, knew the rule-book," he says.
Blaming Umpire Derrell Hair for the controversial decision of accusing Pakistan of ball tampering, Asim says that the Pakistan side, however, "were disgraced over this stupid act. With Inzy facing a possible four Test or eight ODI match ban, one wonders what solace would Pakistan captain take from all this mess in the final scenario."
"Hair could have been best revenged by written words to the ICC not by denial to come to the ground. If sanity had prevailed, then it was most appropriate to have a written statement by the team and board to the match referee, ICC and the media that 'we have been accused of ball tampering without any proof, we have been labelled as cheats and as a proud nation we protest against it'."
Asim asks: "How on earth this never came to their mind?"
Although Inzamam had all the powers to decide the issue for his side, he could be advised or told by the so-called ambassadors and knowledgeable officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board that this is not the way.
"The point is not to support Hair or criticise Inzamam or PCB, the point is to support commonsense," Asim says, adding: "Hair knew his rules well, although he forgot the ethics and spirit taught in his school or what his mama told him when he was a kid."
"Hair thinks his two eyes saw what 20 cameras missed. He always knew that ICC would not overrule his decision as what he has done is mentioned in the book -- umpires have got all the powers to decide the issue -- and his stance, ego, stubbornness would be underscored by the authority for which he is working for. And that is what has happened.
"A five-minute protest inside the dressing room became eternal enigma for Pakistan cricket," Asim observes.
Asking for Hair's dismissal, Asim says: "For ICC, its time to decide which one is bigger -- players, umpires, rules or the game itself? If umpires continue chirping like this -- tormenting the whole side by their unproved accusations -- then game of cricket would end up in a horrible mess."
"ICC has penalised Pakistanis for their ignorance of the rule book by not coming out to field. What ICC would do with Hair if he fails to prove what Inzy and his side never did? The ball is in ICC's court now", Asim says.
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