Pakistan board wants Woolmer's comments

The Pakistan Cricket Board wants to hear Bob Woolmer's comments, in their original form, on the umpiring decisions in Australia, according to Dawn. Woolmer had alleged that his team were at the brunt of an overwhelming number of bad decisions - a statement that angered the ICC and sparked off a global discussion over the effect of appeals designed to influence umpires.

Woolmer was reported under the ICC Code of Conduct for making a "public critisicm of, or inappropriate comment on a match-related incident or match official". Since it was a Level 2 breach, Woolmer could lose at least 50% of his match fee or, in the event of a maximum penalty imposed, could even be banned for one Test or two ODIs. Considering that Pakistan play India next, the board will be keen to avoid the maximum penalty.

Shaharyar Khan acknowledged that Woolmer's comments, in their original form, were required by the board. "Yes, we have sought Woolmer's comments after the International Cricket Council (ICC) drew our attention over the matter," he said. "Apparently his comments are not severe, but we would see it once we get his comments."

"It went 29-5 against us," were the words that started a debate over umpires in Australia after Woolmer's side returned from a tour there with few positives. More recently, a statistical point on this website noted that, since 2002, fewer Australians have been dismissed leg-before than players from any other side in Australia.