LONDON: Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has warned that his team could pull out of the one-day series against England if he is not cleared of ball tampering allegations.

"It would be difficult for the players to play on if we are labelled cheats," Inzamam was quoted as saying in Tuesday's Daily Express newspaper.

Inzamam could be banned for eight one-day internationals or four Tests if he is found guilty of ball tampering and bringing the game into disrepute at an ICC hearing on Friday.

Inzamam was charged with both offences by the ICC on Monday after his team forfeited the fourth and final Test against England at The Oval on Sunday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) immediately lodged an appeal but said it would go ahead with the five one-day internationals against England and a Twenty20 match starting next week even if Inzamam was suspended.

No guarantees

The skipper, however, said there were still no guarantees the series would go ahead.

"It doesn't matter whether I'm playing or not," he said. "What matters is whether we are cheating or not.

"We will wait for the decision and then make up our minds.

"It doesn't just involve me and the team, it involves the whole country. That is the main issue."

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer Channel Four News that the players were completely behind Inzamam over the issue.

Tour game in trouble

Meanwhile, Pakistan manager Zaheer Abbas has suggested that his team may skip Thursday's one-day match against Middlesex to show solidarity with skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq before he attends a disciplinary hearing on Friday.

Abbas said he had inspected the ball which Hair and Doctrove had changed on suspicion that it had been tampered with.

"To be deadly honest I have played a lot of cricket at all levels and I found no such marks on the ball which warranted for the umpires to take such a big decision and cast a slur on our team," he said.

"The few marks I saw were definitely not inflicted by any person but seemed to have appeared after the ball hit the concrete many times during the course of play," he said.

Mistakes galore

Meanwhile in Lahore, former Pakistan captain and coach Javed Miandad said Inzamam made a mistake by not taking the field.

"Inzamam had accepted Darrell Hair's decision by playing the game till the break. Either he should have taken the decision immediately or have played the match under protest," Miandad was quoted as saying by Pakistani media.

"Pakistan committed mistake after mistake and put themselves in a no-win situation. If I were in Inzamam's place I would have asked the boys to play on. I would have played under protest and kept the door open for the appeal."

Not the best way

Another former captain Wasim Akram also said Inzamam's decision not to return to the field after tea break was not the best way to go about things.

"Pakistan team should have protested in a different manner rather than not coming onto the ground after tea. Whatever happens, the game has to go on," Akram said.

The left-arm fast bowling great also demanded that Darrell Hair be removed from the elite panel of umpires. "He has a poor track record against the Asians and is known for creating unnecessary controversies," Akram said.

"They are not going to take any action against the umpires no matter they they do on the ground." — Agencies

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