Waqar accused of ball tampering

Pakistan captain Waqar Younis has been accused of tampering with the ball on the final day of the second Test against England, which the visitors won in controversial circumstances as four English batsmen were ruled out on no-balls.

British newspapers on Tuesday carried pictures to back their allegation that Waqar had tampered with the ball. Other pictures showed off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and fast-bowler Wasim Akram clearly overstepping on balls with which they took at least three wickets between them.

However, Waqar and the team management denied suggestions of foul play in Pakistan's memorable 108-run victory, which enabled the visitors to square the series at 1-1.

England captain Alec Stewart refused to blame the umpires saying, "They are human beings and they make human errors."

But the newspapers minced no words in criticising Waqar and called for his suspension.

"Waqar bowled superbly and captained shrewdly, but he knew what he was doing and he should be suspended," wrote Christopher Martin-Jenkins in the Times.

"Whether Waqar should remain as captain after being exposed by television for a gross breach of Law 42 on fair and unfair play is, sadly, another matter," he said.

While the Times wrote about "at least three no-ball decisions, that of Andy Caddick, Nick Knight and Dominic Cork", the Daily Telegraph, in a front page article said the cameras showed that four players -- Michael Vaughan besides the three -- were given out to no-balls.

"The mean eye of the camera exposed several umpiring mistakes, including at least three England wickets taken from no-balls that went unspotted in the excitement.

"Worse perhaps, viewers of Channel 4's highlights in the early evening were given the clearest possible evidence that Waqar gouged the leather out of one side of the ball with a fingernail to encourage reverse swing shortly before Michael Atherton was bowled by a late inswinger in the morning session," wrote the Times.

"England did not complain and the referee, Brian Hastings from New Zealand, has so far taken no action. It is depressing that bowlers still think they can tamper with the ball despite cameras watching almost every move they make.

"I have no doubt that Pakistan are not the only culprits but it will be no less depressing if, in the light of the evidence, this becomes the latest breach of the Laws to go unpunished by weak officials," the report continued.

Waqar was given a one-match suspension and fined half of his match fee last year after being found guilty of changing the condition of the ball in a one-day game in Sri Lanka.

Barry Leadbeater, chairman of the First Class Umpires' Association, said, "It was very disappointing to see four given out to quite big no-balls. One thing in the umpires' defence is that in that pressure cauldron they were desperate not to miss something at the batting end.

"I do not want to see the sort of thing that happened this evening happen again in the world, so if there is a way of picking up no-balls, I would welcome it."

Mail Cricket Editor