Hussain backs Pakistan no-show

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has backed Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq for refusing to play after his side had been accused of ball-tampering at The Oval on Sunday.

Pakistan forfeited the fourth Test as a consequence - losing the series 3-0 - and, with umpire Darrell Hair so far failing to produce any evidence against the tourists, Hussain's sympathies lie with Inzamam.

Hussain told the Daily Mail: "If I had been accused of cheating in this way then, as long as I was sure of our innocence, I would have done exactly the same thing as Pakistan. I wouldn't have come out after tea, either."

He added: "People have said that Pakistan should have waited until the close of play and then gone down the right channels, but they wouldn't have seen it that way.

"To Pakistan, if they had carried on playing, they would have been admitting their guilt."

Inzamam also drew sympathy from former Pakistan stalwart Ramiz Raja, who said in his column in Pakistani newspaper The Nation: "Inzamam-ul-Haq and the team were right to protest.

"The pride of an entire people has been tarnished by his ludicrous and highly insensitive decision.

"And I'm sure the Pakistan captain would not have changed his stance and entered the field again had he not been bulldozed by the diplomatic pressure."