Test cricket has seen a slew of controversies over the years. A new chapter was added on Sunday when the ball-tampering drama (read: farce) was enacted at The Oval on the penultimate day of the fourth and final Test. Following is Sunday’s sequence of events (timings in GMT):

1.34 pm: Umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove examine the ball after Umar Gul’s 14th over. Hair, believing the condition of the ball to have been unfairly altered, signals to the scorers that Pakistan will be penalised five runs. Ball is changed

3.43 pm: Hair and Doctrove, and England batsmen Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell, return to the field after tea but there’s no sign of the Pakistan team. Officials and batsmen return to pavilion

3.54 pm: Umpires and batsmen return to field, but still no Pakistan team. Bails are removed and the covers come on

4.19 pm: Covers come off. Match Referee Mike Procter, English cricket chief David Morgan and Pakistan counterpart Shaharyar Khan seen in deep discussions on balcony

4.24 pm: Skipper Inzamam-ul Haq leads the Pakistan team back onto the field, but now there is no sign of the umpires who insist that the original Pakistan no-show after tea means the match has been conceded

4.41 pm: Shaharyar tells reporters: “The boys are extremely upset at the slur of ball-tampering. As a result they registered a protest with the Match Referee for the decision unilaterally taken by the umpires. Once we did that, we were ready to go out and play but it seems the umpires are reluctant to go out”

5.13 pm: Play called off for the day

6.30 pm: Procter says talks will continue in an effort to solve impasse

(AFP)