ICC hearing has hurt world cricket - Benaud

Richie Benaud, the former Australian captain, has said that last week's ICC hearing into the ball-tampering controversy arising from last month's forfeited fourth Test between England and Pakistan has hurt world cricket.

Benaud, one of the world's leading cricket commentators, said the hearing was "crass and unbecoming" and he criticised Pakistan's decision to refuse to re-enter the field instead of accepting the umpire's ruling at The Oval.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, was cleared of ball-tampering charges but was found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute over his side's refusal to play. He was subsequently banned for four one-day internationals, which has effectively ruled him out of next month's Champions Trophy in India. Benaud, however didn't agree with the sentence imposed on Inzamam.

"Why didn't he get a Test ban?" Benaud told The News of the World, a London-based tabloid. "His proven offence was committed in a Test. Instead, he got the minimum one-day ban of four matches when the minimum Test ban was ten days of cricket. The reasoning - it would have had a more immediate effect in the Champions Trophy - was lame. He could captain Pakistan in the final."

Benaud said the umpire's power will be further eroded if countries tried to pick and choose umpires for their matches. He added that umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove would officiate again in international matches if there were fairness.

"It depends on the degree of 'if'," he said. "There are two men with stilettos between their shoulder blades - the Pakistan manager Zaheer Abbas, who has been sacked -- and Hair, the ICC umpire. But at no point in any of this has Hair acted alone."