Pakistan continue to take the piss
The argument over the Ovalgate continues to rage. Despite Pakistan getting their way and having Darrell Hair removed from International duty, they’re still unwilling to cough up the requested £800,000 in compensation for the forfeiture of the game. Instead, they’ve come up with a new plan: they’ll play cricket against us.
“We have told (ECB chairman) David Morgan that we are willing to play a one-dayer next summer in England and revenues earned from that game after deducting expenses can be taken as compensation.”
Admittedly, I don’t know how a profit share of International matches usually works but this idea of a match really seems to be moot, especially as they say “after expenses” - that is, “as long as it doesn’t cost us anything, you can have anything you want.”
Pakistan continue to make the situation worse.
Their position is (for them, at least) perfectly simple. Darrell Hair’s removal from the board vindicates their stance that he was to blame for the Ovalgate affair ever occurring - had he not been in the wrong, then they would not have forfeited the game. Which is obviously complete nonsense. Darrell Hair never said “you’re cheating therefore you will forfeit the game”, instead, he implied they were cheating, deducted a measly 5 runs and in the process, it seems, insulted the whole of the sub-continent. The fact remains, though, that it was entirely the actions of the Pakistan side that resulted in the forfeiture, by refusing to return to the pitch they forced the forfeiture of the game, and that is the question surrounding the compensation claims. This fact is entirely supported by Inzamam’s ban for bringing the game in to disrepute. Had the Pakistani’s responded to the situation in the proper fashion, that is, continue playing and address their concerns after the match, then it would never have been forfeited and this whole ugly mess would never have gotten quite so out of hand.
All this does is add to a long procession of incidents involving the Pakistani side and management, which really calls in to question their integrity (something which was ultimately at the heart of the whole problem). In being so determined to prove their innocence, all they’ve really done is confirm that they are, for want of a better expression, “a loose cannon”. Their handling of the situation was from the very start awful, they’ve since had two players banned for drug use, they held the ICC to ransom over Darrell Hair, they’re refusing to pay compensation, the list goes on.
Maybe Pakistan now feel they’re backed in to a corner and so have raised their heckles. It seems the support from India and Sri Lanka is (understandably) diminishing and they’re on their own to fight their battles. I’m not saying they should capitulate, but this situation only continues to worsen due to their selfish actions.
Tags: ball-tampering, cricket, drugs-ban, inzamam, its-just-not-cricket, ovalgate, pakistan, the-ovalRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Cricket
1 opinion for Pakistan continue to take the piss
Stickiewicket
Nov 10, 2006 at 6:20 am
Its seem to getting more and more controvercial with the passage of time.
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