Musharraf joins issue with Darrell Hair

The President said that the umpire 'insulted Pakistan' by accusing the team of ball-tampering.

President Pervez Musharraf had telephoned Pakistan's cricket team management in Britain and backed skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq's decision to keep his team off the field in the chaos-hit fourth Test against England at The Oval.

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According to the Pakistan cricket management, Musharraf said that umpire Darrell Hair "insulted Pakistan" and the Pakistani skipper's decision to stage a dressing room protest over ball tampering charges during the tea interval was right.

However, Musharraf was not quoted directly by The News daily or by anyone in the cricket management.

"We have indicated clearly that we were willing to go out and that we want the match to continue," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan said.

"The team were deeply upset at the implication they had been cheating. They wanted to protest by just waiting a few minutes and then come out to play," he added.

England was on Sunday awarded the test after a controversy erupted over the allegation that Pakistani players had indulged in tampering the ball and the team refused to continue with the game.