Pakistan A team forfeits match against New Zealand
Posted: Sunday December 06, 1998 02:44 PM
HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) -- The Pakistan A cricket team
forfeited its match against New Zealand A on Sunday when it refused
to take the field after the pitch was damaged overnight by vandals.
Pakistan A refused to resume its second innings on the third
morning of the scheduled four-day match after the damage.
Pakistan was 15 without loss, trailing New Zealand A by 164
runs. Despite the efforts of match officials and New Zealand
Cricket chief executive Chris Doig, the Pakistan management was
adamant their team would not carry on with the match.
The umpires put the start of play back an hour while ground
officials repaired the one contentious area of the pitch.
The match was awarded to New Zealand A by forfeit, and continued
an ill-starred tour for the Pakistanis, who have had one
first-class game called off due to a dangerous pitch and another
washed out.
Doig spoke to Pakistan A's coach, former international Mohsin
Khan, several times Sunday.
"They never said at any stage that they thought the pitch was
dangerous - the word dangerous was never mentioned," Doig said.
"They thought that on a length the damage that was done would
create an unfavorable mindset for the Pakistani batsmen, and they
were so shocked by the occurrence that they would not be able to
concentrate on their cricket, and as such they weren't prepared to
play the game."
Doig said he believed the Pakistani team had made a "knee jerk
Reaction" to the vandalism.
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