Pakistan cricket chief Shahryar Khan said his team felt "totally vindicated" after captain Inzamam ul-Haq was cleared Thursday of ball-tampering.

"We feel totally vindicated," Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Khan told a press conference at The Oval after the ICC hearing.

The decision to clear Inzamam "removed the slur on the good name of our team and our country", Khan said.

Inzamam was found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute over his side's refusal to play during last month's fourth Test against England and the ICC banned him for four one-day internationals, effectively ruling him out of next month's Champions Trophy in India.

But Khan insisted Inzamam's role would not change: "Inzamam's captaincy is not affected."

Pakistan twice refused to take the field after tea on the fourth day of the fourth Test against England on August 20.

They did so in protest at the decision of umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove to penalise them five runs for ball-tampering earlier in the day.

Their stand saw Pakistan forfeit the match - the first time this had happened in 129 years of Test cricket - and England were awarded a win which gave them the series 3-0.

Khan repeated his demands that he did not want Hair to officiate another game involving Pakistan until the end of the Australian umpire's contract with the ICC.

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)