Cricket credibility mortis

There's been no official announcement yet, but if all the rumours are true then the ICC executive is about to alter the result of the 2006 Oval Test between England and Pakistan. The BBC, Cricinfo and the Press Trust of India are among sources reporting the Orwellian masterstroke, by which the two year-old result will be amended from an England win to a draw.

This was the Test match that England won on forfeit, in accordance with Law 21.3 of the Laws of Cricket. (See here for my report on the ensuing judiciary hearing, which covers the events in depth.) However heavy-handed the decision of umpires Hair and Doctrove to call off the Test match when the Pakistanis failed to return to the field, it was fully consistent with the Laws of the game, and there were no Test match playing conditions to cover the situation at the time.

The ICC Executive Board commenced their annual two-day meeting at The Tax-Efficient Home Of Cricket, Dubai, yesterday, and the outcomes are expected to be announced late Thursday local time. Zimbabwe is of course the big issue, but if they are prepared to amend the results of past matches because the losing side got a bit upset, then the whole credibility of the governing body has been corrupted, perhaps irretrievably. The credibility of those individual boards who support this nonsense can also be dispatched down the gurgler.