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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Friday supported the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) but dismissed apprehensions that the Asian bloc was a threat to International Cricket Council (ICC).

"I think Jaghmohan Dalmiya (BCCI president) is within his rights to protest against the inconsistencies of the mother body. But at the same time the concerns that world cricket is on the verge of a split, are wrong," Lt Gen Tauqir Zia said from Rawalpindi.

The ICC reduced the Centurion Test as unofficial after India and United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) refused to accept Mike Denness as match referee. The Englishman earlier this week sanctioned six Indian cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar for tampering with the ball and excessive appealing.

"Pakistan continues to regard and respect the ICC as the supreme body. But we also fell that it needs to be more neutral like FIFA," Tauqir said.

As chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Tauqir said: "If the Asian body is not united, how it can challenge the authority of ICC."

India withdrew from ACC's Asian Test Championship earlier this year and also cancelled its scheduled tours to Pakistan and Sharjah.

Tauqir admitted that Dalmiya called him Wednesday but refused to reveal any details except that he had asked his support for a more consistent ICC. "I don't think Dalmiya's decision for a review of Denness' punishment to six players is unjustified "He is within his right to do that. Because personally I do believe that the penalties imposed on the Indian players barring Tendulkar are too harsh.

What we feel is that it is time the ICC functions more as a neutral body and has more uniformity and consistency in enforcing its rules and regulations and code of conduct for teams and players.

"You can't have different set of rules and regulations for different players. I can quote many examples in the recent past where ICC officials have interpreted and enforced the code of conduct rules and regulations without any uniformity or consistency," Tauqir said.

Tauqir defended Denness' decision to penalize Tendulkar but felt that on-the-field umpires should be given more authority to deal with issues "They are the ones who watch everything on field. That is precisely why Pakistan is asking for more powers to be given to the umpires on and off the field."

© Dawn