Shaharyar says team left ground on referee's instructions (20 February 1999)

20 February 1999

Shaharyar says team left ground on referee's instructions

Our Special Representative

CALCUTTA, Feb 19: Pakistan team manager Shaharyar Khan on Friday clarified that his team had walked off the field on the instructions of match referee Cammie Smith.

"It was not Wasim Akram's decision to lead the team out. In fact, Cammie Smith had asked for an early tea," Shaharyar Khan told Dawn at the Eden Gardens where the penultimate day's play in the Asian Test Championship match against India was halted for 67 minutes because of crowd disturbance.

The manager said Cammie Smith and the umpires took a walk towards the stand which was throwing objects at Shoaib Akhtar. "Cammie Smith felt that there was quite a hostility in a section of crowd. He observed that the crowd needed sometime to control their emotions and forget what happened with Sachin Tendulkar. He was of the view that 20 minutes would be enough to get them (crowd) settled again."

Shaharyar Khan, however, admitted that Shoaib Akhtar had been pelted with different fruits and a stone about coin size. "The stone didn't hit him but fell very close."

The former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan also made it clear that no formal request was made to Wasim Akram to withdraw the appeal and call Sachin Tendulkar back.

"It's totally untrue. Never the match referee or the two umpires asked us to review the appeal. Yes, a few unconcerned people though came to us and asked us to call Tendulkar back.

"The point is that the incident was totally unintentional. Both the players (Shoaib Akhtar and Sachin Tendulkar) were watching the ball. In fact, it was the fault of the batsman who should have kept an eye on the fielder as Shoaib was in no position to see in which direction Tendulkar was running as he was moving with the ball to cover the throw.

"The dismissal was in accordance with the rules of the game and rules can't be mend to please the crowd," Shaharyar Khan said.

Shaharyar Khan observed that he was not disappointed by the behaviour of the crowd which is considered as the best in the world. "I am not disappointed as I can understand that the crowd was disturbed because they had come to watch him (Sachin Tendulkar) in action. After all, Sachin had scored a first ball duck in the first innings."

The manager said never for a second he or his players felt insecure. "I think, the situation was handled very diplomatically and correctly by the ICC (International Cricket Council) chairman Jaghmohan Dalmiya who brought out Sachin Tendulkar and had a lap with him."

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Khalid Mahmood said the reaction of the crowd was understandable after their hero was dismissed in a tragic manner. "I think it could have happened anywhere if the darling of the crowd would have fallen this way. It was sheer bad luck."

Source :: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)