Inzamam-ul-Haq leads his side back onto the field ... but too late to save the Test © Getty Images Enlarge

The ICC is to intervene on England's claims for compensation from the forfeited Oval Test after Pakistan rejected their demands for £800,000 in lost revenue.

As expected, following the failure to reach an agreement between the two countries' boards, the ECB has now requested assistance and an ICC disputes panel will decide how much compensation England are to receive following Pakistan's forfeiture of the game.

The ECB originally asked the PCB for £800,000 after they refunded all fifth-day ticketholders and also gave a 40% reimbursement to the 23,000 in the ground on the day of the abandonment, the fourth day. But Pakistan formally rejected this claim, as they maintain that the actions of the umpires were to blame for the resulting refusal by Pakistan to resume the match, and as the employers of the officials, the ICC is responsible for the losses.

The PCB's director of cricket operations Saleem Altaf confirmed to Reuters on Monday that the ECB had requested the ICC's help. "They had sent us a letter setting an October 31 deadline for resolving the issue," said Altaf. "We told them we were contesting their claim and in their latest letter, they have informed us they are going to the ICC. The ICC will now constitute the disputes resolution committee and set a date for the hearing."

The ECB would be within its rights to insist on consistency from the ICC. The English authorities had to pay £250,000 to the Zimbabwe board when an ODI in 2004-05 was cancelled because the Zimbabwe authorities refused to allow journalists into the country. It was also hit with a hefty fine when England refused to play in Harare during the 2003 World Cup.

If the ICC decided to pay then there may well be objections from other member countries as ultimately world cricket would be footing the bill for the Pakistan team's actions.