Blast From The Past: 2006 ball tampering case, the controversial verdict

Image: India Times

A game associated with chivalry, dignity, respect and most importantly like all other sports, honesty lying at the heart of it- is something that defines cricket. Ranging from congeniality among the cricketers to following the abiding rules of the game, this game has produced cricketers who haven’t only proved their mettle with their performances but have also portrayed what magnanimity means.

However, what if I told you this is not the case every time. Every player doesn’t show the same idiosyncrasy as far their behaviour and their actions on the field are concerned. This was something that was recorded on the 20th of August in 2006. What follows is a breathtaking incident involving a number of opinions and dynamic changes in the lives of the people associated with it.

The Anatomy

Image: ESPN

Let’s have a look at what really happened on the fateful day of 20th August 2006. The 4th day of a test match between England and Pakistan witnessed something really regressive and perhaps something which was never seen in the history of cricket or was expected in the years to come.

Umpire Hair caught hold of the ball and summoned immediately for the captain of the Pakistan cricket team Inzamam-ul-Haq. The reason that the umpire examined the ball because he initially thought that the ball had lost its shape and ordered a new box of balls immediately. But while the new ball would arrive, the umpires noticed something weird, as soon as they chose the new ball, they found that there was no problem with the shape of the ball but rather alleged the fielding side for tampering the ball.

Umpire hair rewarded the batting side with five penalty runs. The Pakistani team which was a bit upset by this decision, decided not to step on the field after the tea break. The umpires thus removed the bails and the match was forfeited rendering England victorious. In this way, Pakistan became the first ever team in the history of 129 years of test cricket and 1814 matches to forfeit a match as punishment due to ball tampering.

The Aftermath

Image: news.com.au

A number of allegations were laid against Umpire Hair and he was criticised way down to the bottom thus resulting in an end to his career. Although he himself resigned from the ICC Elite Umpire Panel, what Hair demanded was a total amount of $5,00,000 from the manager of the panel. He demanded that the amount should be directly transferred into his bank account without announcing it publicly. He stated that this was a compensation for the other four years he would have umpired if this controversy wouldn’t have taken place. Although this didn’t remain confidential for a long time, the amount of backlash that Hair suffered certainly put an end to his long experienced career.

The Cauldron of Opinions

Although it was certified that the decision to forfeit the match was in accordance to the laws of cricket, a number of cricketing legends had contrasting opinions on what really happened.

Micheal Atherton who totally criticised the umpires for not continuing the game felt that it was a breach to the serenity of the game. Nasir Hossain who was on the other side also gave a bit of shocking reaction. He went on record and stated that “If I had been in place of Inzamam, I would have done the same”. While the Australian Legend Steve Waugh felt and expressed the fact that ‘Nothing is Bigger than the Game’, there are laws for some reason. While Imran Khan back lashed on the Umpires and stated that ‘these decisions Court Controversy’.

Image: telegraph.co.uk

However, on 9 October 2007 Hair dropped his discrimination case. The ICC said Hair would undergo a development program over the next six months seemingly with the goal to place him back into top level matches. During this six-month period he continued to officiate in second tier ICC associate matches. The ICC restored Hair to the Elite Umpiring Panel on 12 March 2008.

Well what happened at the day was controversial, no one knew what was right or wrong. Different perspectives held different views. Perhaps many believed that the umpires overreacted and should have left room for resolving the situation while some felt that it was very efficient of the umpires to do so. However what really the matter of concern is, that this incident left a deep scar on the pedestal of the game and also in the lives of a number of people associated with it.