Inzamam banned but cleared of ball-tampering

Inzamam could find out today if he has been found guilty of charges

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Thursday, 28, Sep 2006 08:11

Pakistan's cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has been found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute but crucially has been cleared of ball-tampering by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Senior match referee Ranjan Madugalle, who was chairing the two-day disciplinary hearing at the Oval, heard the final submissions this morning and made a swift decision as to the player's culpability.

He determined that Inzamam was guilty of the former charge of bringing the game into disrepute and duly suspended him from Pakistan's next four one-day matches, a relatively lenient penalty as the maximum possible ban was four Test matches or eight one-day internationals.

Inzamam had refused to take to the field in last month's fourth Test with England, an action which came in protestation at the umpires' decision to penalise the team for alleged-ball tampering and led to the match being forfeited, the first time a Test has been so decided in the 129-year history of the sport.

However, Madugalle cleared Inzamam of the more serious ball-tampering charge which had been brought against him by Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove, the two on-field umpires during the Oval Test.

Explaining the verdict, Madugalle said in a statement: "Having regard to the seriousness of the allegation of ball-tampering - it is an allegation of cheating - I am not satisfied on the balance of probabilities that there is sufficiently cogent evidence the fielding team had changed the condition of the ball.

"In my judgment, the marks are as consistent with normal wear and tear of a match ball after 56 overs as they are with deliberate human interventions."

His acquittal from this charge of cheating is expected to see Inzamam appeal his four-game ban for bringing the game into disrepute, a charge he continues to deny.