So the ICC acted and handed Inzamam-ul-Haq a four-match ban, one of the more lenient options open to them. For once, I think cricket's governing body have acted appropriately. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Pakistanis' decision not to come out after tea on day four of the Oval Test, in my book it's Darrel Hair who is the victim. ICC chief exec Malcolm Speed has literally pulled his hair out by stoppimg the umpire from officitiating in next month's Champions' Trophy in India. Hair has been left hanging out to dry by the ICC who should have backed the courage oftheir conviction and stood by their employee. The debacle of that sad Friday afternoon in late August when Speed read out the email Hair wrote asking for money if he agreed to retire was one of the saddest moments in sport this year. One felt for the larger that life Aussie (who in my view is a perfectly sound umpire), as he was fed to the wolves (aka sports journalists).

Back to the incident. on the pitch. Inzy and co were right to be upset by Hair's five-run penalty but wrong to be upset with Hair. I've seen Hair turn down lbws in favour of Pakistan's batsmen and raise the finger in favour of their bowlers. If he felt the ball had been tampered with, then Hair was right to give the penalty, that should have been enough. And for Inzy to throw his toys out of the cot and stay in the dressing room, and then when it was too late, to come out again - that was just not cricket.

The difference between cricket and football is that cricketers are relatively civilised. Andrew Flintoof consoling Brett Lee after the Aussie's monumental effort in rescuing the second Test at Edgbaston last year was for me the sporting moment of the year. Inzy was hurt, deeply hurt and took the whole thing personally. But Inzy and the rest of the team are paid large sums of money (massive sums compared to the average wage in Paiistan), and he would have been a far bigger man had he turned up with his teammates after tea that afternoon.

Watching Inzt in full flow in his lagubrious, effortlessbatting style is one ofthe joys of cricket. We'll miss him, but being out for four is surely not goingto ruin a brilliant overall average.