ICC asked to overturn result of forfeited Oval Test

The Marylebone Cricket Club, the game's rule-makers, asked the International Cricket Council on Sunday to overturn the result of the 2006 Oval Test between England and Pakistan.

The result of the forfeited Test match was changed from an England win to a draw by the ICC in July but the MCC said the move contravened the laws of cricket. "The MCC's World Cricket Committee met here over the weekend and states that ICC was not justified in overturning the result of the Oval Test," MCC Head of Cricket John Stephenson said in a statement.

"The Committee urges ICC to revoke its decision which is contrary to the laws of cricket and to confirm that the original result of the match still stands." What was the first and only forfeit in the history of Test cricket took place at The Oval in August 2006 when Australian umpire Darrell Hair and his West Indian colleague Billy Doctrove penalised Pakistan five penalty runs for alleged ball-tampering.

That sparked an angry response from Pakistan, who refused to take the field after tea on the fourth day in protest - a move that saw the umpires declare that Pakistan had forfeited the match and award it to England.

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq was subsequently cleared of ball tampering charge and Hair was removed from the ICC's elite panel of umpires.

He was only reinstated as a Test umpire earlier this year after a legal battle which saw Hair allege he was the victim of racial discrimination by the ICC before dropping his case at an employment tribunal hearing in London.

NEW DELHI, Sunday AFP