Caddick may still face censure as match referee reconsiders

Andy Caddick may still face censure after the disagreement with umpire Sajjad Asghar on the third day of the game against the Governor's XI in Peshawar.

Match referee Farrukh Zaman spoke to Caddick, Hussain and Fletcher before the start of play on the final morning of the game. Although Zaman had originally decided to take no action, as the incident was not officially reported by the umpire, upon reflection he decided that there may have been a breach in the Code of Conduct expected of players.

"I asked Caddick what the incident was all about and he said it was an appeal that was turned down and that was it," explained Zaman.

"He told me that he didn't say the words he is supposed to have said and the umpire must have misunderstood, but he didn't apologise."

Zaman has asked the umpires for a report on the game which he will submit to the Pakistan Cricket Board. They will, in turn, contact the England and Wales Cricket Board if they believe the incident warrants further action.

The umpire is reported to have said that Caddick had " said something about my country."

The feeling persists that some elements of the media are keen to fan the flames of controversy. The England team felt they had batsman Akhtar Sarfraz caught behind, and Caddick cupped his ear to suggest that the knick was clearly audible when the appeal was turned down. Alec Stewart described the event as "a storm in a teacup."

Nasser Hussain agreed. "From where I stood at mid-off, I saw an opening bowler think he had got someone out but it wasn't given by the umpire, as he is entitled to do, and there were a few words exchanged between batsman and bowler," Hussain said.

"That sort of thing has happened a lot in international cricket over the years and the umpire came up to me at the end of the over and said he wasn't having Andy saying certain things and I went and had a word with him.

"Andy felt the umpire misunderstood what he said and as far as I'm concerned it was all just a bit of sledging between two players -if he did say something to the umpire and showed a bit of dissent, then I've spoken to him about that and Andy has no problem with it.

"What's more important to me as England captain is what sort of frame of mind Andrew Caddick has and how he bowled after that incident when he bowled magnificently."

While the Somerset man may have had words with the batsman, he insists that nothing improper passed between him and the umpire.

An ECB spokesman said after the game: "The match referee spoke to Duncan Fletcher this morning, and then subsequently to Andrew Caddick.

"Caddick explained there had been a misunderstanding between himself and the umpire and had been incorrectly quoted in newspaper reports.

"As a matter of course the referee will send a match report to the PCB. The umpire has made no formal complaint about Andrew Caddick and the England team consider the matter closed."