Pakistan forced to play Zim
2007-03-29 18:57
Karachi - Pakistan cricket authorities
threatened their World Cup team with severe penalties to force
them to play their final tie against Zimbabwe following the
death of Bob Woolmer, it was revealed on Thursday.
Sources in the Pakistan team told Reuters that captain
Inzamam-ul-Haq had initially told the players the team would not
play the Group D game against Zimbabwe which was held on
Wednesday, March 21, three days after Woolmer's body was found.
Inzamam and the team, sources said, did not want to play in
the wake of the death of coach Woolmer and the subsequent police
investigations.
"It took a late-night telephone call to the Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) officials and threats of severe penalties for
Inzamam and the players to finally relent," one source said.
He did not say what those penalties would have been.
"The manager, Talat Ali put his foot down and backed by the
board told Inzamam and senior players in a meeting that they
would not decide which match to play and they must fulfil their
commitment against Zimbabwe," the source said.
"Talat told them they would not be allowed to have their way
as they had done during last year's Oval Test against England,"
the source added.
Forfeited result
Last August, Inzamam refused to lead his team on to the
field after tea against England on the fourth day at the Oval in
protest over the umpires' decision to change the ball and
penalise the Pakistanis five runs for alleged ball tampering.
Umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove awarded the Test to
England as a forfeited result, the first in Test history.
An International Cricket Council (ICC) adjudicator later
cleared Pakistan of the Oval ball-tampering charges but banned
Inzamam for four games for bringing the game into disrepute.
Sources said that Inzamam was told at the World Cup he
needed to avoid a repeat of the Oval Test fiasco at the end of
his career.
Pakistan eventually beat Zimbabwe comfortably and dedicated
the match to their coach, Woolmer, who was pronounced dead on
Sunday, March 18 one day after Pakistan were beaten by Ireland
and knocked out of the World Cup.
Sources also confirmed that the PCB would be holding a
meeting of its ad-hoc committee next week in which sweeping
changes were expected to be made after the disappointing World
Cup performance.
Inzamam had announced his retirement from one-day
internationals and stepped down from the captaincy after the
loss to Ireland and Woolmer's death which is being investigated
as a murder by Jamaican police.