Cricinfo reports that the MCC world cricket committee has confirmed what Michael Holding, Darren Gough, myself and others believe. Namely that the Oval test which was forfeited by Pakistan in 2006 should remain a forfeit and not, as the ICC spinelessly decided, be changed retrospectively to a draw.
Here’s some of the report (which is worth reading in full, by the way):
The MCC world cricket committee, which includes current India captain Anil Kumble and former Test leaders Rahul Dravid, Michael Atherton, Shaun Pollock and Steve Waugh, met on Saturday and Sunday in New Delhi and decided “cricket is the worse for this decision”.
The committee chairman Tony Lewis wanted confirmation from the ICC that the original outcome of the match should stand. “The ICC has no power under the laws of cricket to decide that results should be altered, whether it feels it’s ‘inappropriate’ or otherwise,” the former England captain Lewis said. “The ICC’s decision is wrong and sets a very dangerous precedent. Cricket is the worse for this decision.”
“As far as we’re concerned there is no record of any other result [but a forfeit],” Lewis said. “We’re not reversing the ICC result, we’re just saying they had no place to do that. We, MCC, wrote the rules in 1788 and the laws working party now is run by Robert Griffiths QC. Legally, there is absolutely no way the ICC can change the laws of the game, which it did do.”
Look at the names of some of the people on the MCC world cricket committee?
Rahul Dravid
Anil Kumble
Michael Atherton
Shaun Pollock
Steve Waugh
All players with excellent records as test players and captains.
Chairman Tony Lewis is a man steeped in cricket so much it’s stamped through him like Blackpool rock.
Perhaps none of those esteemed gentlemen are well versed in internet slang. I doubt anyone at the ICC is either though. So let me put it simply for the ICC, that much berated organisation:
YOU ARE MADE OF FAIL
The MCC world cricket committee is to be applauded for telling the ICC to start behaving in line with the laws of the game and not sucking up for political issues.