Rival Test sides told end verbal barrages
UGLY scenes marred the third day of the Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand at Hamilton yesterday.
New Zealander Dipak Patel, fielding at short leg, appeared to enrage Pakistani wicketkeeper Rashid Latif with a comment and he angrily gestured to umpires, who spoke to Patel and New Zealand captain Ken Rutherford.
Finger-pointing and angry words continued, and Rashid had to be physically restrained from approaching Patel by New Zealand umpire Brian Aldridge.
Rutherford declined to comment on the incident, but said it was one of several during Pakistan's two-week tour of New Zealand.
''Whenever you play the Pakistanis there's always that over-competitive edge to the game. There's always some banter going on, some of it not all that happy . . . there have been quite a few incidents over the two-week tour,'' Rutherford said.
Australian Peter Burge, referee for the one-off Test match, said in a statement he would implement ICC code of conduct regulations to punish any more displays of temper.
Burge said in his statement: ''I have had a concern at the amount of 'sledging' between players that appears to have occurred at various times during this Test match.
''I found it necessary to issue a general warning to the management of both teams that if this type of behaviour (between players) continued I would be obliged to intervene in accordance with the ICC code of conduct.'' The warning follows the suspension for one match last week of Pakistani pace bowler Aaqib Javed following an outburst in which he swore at New Zealand umpire Brian Aldridge and called him a cheat.
Aaqib's suspension was the first such action against a cricketer since the code of conduct was introduced last year to crack down on bad behaviour.
Controversy has followed Pakistan's cricketers since they won the World Cup last year. Aaqib was in trouble in England when he objected to the way an umpire handed him his sweater at the end of an over.
Pakistan have also protested angrily at allegations that their bowlers produce prodigious swing with the ball by illegally picking at the seams between deliveries.
Yesterday, a late three-wicket burst by paceman Wasim Akram which included openers Blair Hartland and first innings century-maker Mark Greatbatch salvaged his side's hopes of avoiding defeat.
Fifteen wickets fell during the day, with Pakistan's second innings lasting less than four hours as their out-of-form batsmen collapsed again.
Pakistan, after scoring just 216 in their first innings, mopped up New Zealand's tailenders to dismiss the team for 264, but then fell to 174 all out in their second innings, setting New Zealand what looked like a comfortable 127 to win.
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