By Anil
November 21 2005

The second test match between England and Pakistan at Faisalabad threatens to drown in a series of controversies as Pakistan gain the upper hand at the end of the second day. "Bringing disrepute to the game" is a phrase bandied about frequently by the ICC, but nothing exemplifies it as much as the Test series currently being played between England and Pakistan.

Controversy is no stranger whenever England has visited Pakistan, with the two sides almost invariably locked in disgraceful on-field battles which have little to do with cricket.

The ongoing series is no exception, being played in the poor spirit which has become something of a tradition for cricket involving England in Pakistan.

Match referee Roshan Mahanama of Sri Lanka must deal with it in the same no-nonsense manner as Hanumant Singh during England's controversial tour of Sri Lanka under the combative Nasser Hussain in 2001. The Indian referee had prevented that series from becoming a farce with several heavy-handed penalties on both sides after warnings failed to work.

Ian Bell's clear bump catch to dismiss Mohammad Yousuf in the midst of a fine innings, given out by the umpires, has come under attack from former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif as an act of cheating which should merit a ban. Latif was himself banned for 5 matches for a bump catch by South African referee Mike Procter, and his career effectively ended with that punishment, hence he has good reason to ask that Bell be dealt with similarly.

Steve Harmison's dismissal of Inzamam-ul-Haq was clearly against the letter and spirit of the law. The players as well as umpires are well aware that when the ball is thrown at a batsman, causing him to flinch and leave the crease momentarily, it does not qualify for a runout. Harmison and his captain did not let that little fact prevent them from appealing aggressively, and Australian umpires Simon Taufel and Daryl Hair agreed with them and asked the third umpire for a tight line decision. The bemused Pakistani captain was given out by the third umpire, and this shortly after reaching the century mark.

Claims that the ICC elite umpires routinely favor England and Australia, which they have been accused of many times before, will gain further ground with the conduct of Taufel and Hair. That the current series in Australia against West Indies has seen the great batsman Brian Lara given out wrongly in 3 out of 4 decisions from ICC umpires can only bolster those claims. Little wonder that both English and Australian cricketers are opposed to bringing technology into umpiring decisions.

Back to the England-Pakistan match, Shahid Afridi was found deliberately scuffing up an area of the pitch that would help his side's spinners, and has come under scrutiny for unfair play as well.

Roshan Mahanama, a vocal critic of the Australian behavior on-field, must take strong action to stamp out the indiscipline in this series. Nothing less than the following penalties will suffice:

• Ban Ian Bell for one test for unfair play
• Ban Shahid Afridi for two tests for unfair play
• Fine Harmison 75% match fee for claiming a wicket illegally
• Fine Michael Vaughan 100% match fee for failing to control his players