Pakistan will be cleared of tampering charges - Inzamam

KARACHI, Sept 1 (Reuters) Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is confident his team will be cleared of ball tampering charges he described as concocted and unjustified.

''Different stories are circulating after the Oval test fiasco but I have no doubt we will be cleared and the truth will come out soon,'' he wrote in his Urdu language column in ''Daily Jang'' today.

Inzamam is due to attend a International Cricket Council (ICC) disciplinary hearing later this month to face charges of ball tampering and bringing the game into disrepute.

The ICC slapped the charges on Inzamam after his team refused to continue play on the fourth day of the final test against England last month They were incensed at the decision of umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove to change the ball and penalise them five runs for ball-tampering.

Australian Hair, at the centre of the row, is also under scrutiny after asking for 500,000 dollar from the ICC to quit the elite panel of umpires soon after the incident.

''Hair laid out a web to involve the Pakistan team in controversy and ball tampering but now it appears he himself is in deep trouble,'' Inzamam said in the column.

''The situation is getting bad for him and his problems are increasing. It looks like he is going to get caught in serious difficulties,'' he said.

Inzamam said he was confident the truth would prevail in the end.

''From the first day I have been insisting that Hair did injustice with us and the whole world is supporting our contention,'' he said.

''In time everyone will know who is telling the truth and who did injustice with who,'' he added.

''To do so well in the Twenty20 and the first one-day international against England in such circmstances shows the character of our team.'' He said he was happy that all his players had put the Oval fiasco behind them.

''I am confident we can win the one-day series and put the loss of the tests behind us now,'' he said.

Inzamam credited the return of fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Rana Naved for the improved performances.

''I have no doubt if these two had been available in the tests the results could have been different,'' he said.

REUTERS AY BST1329