Wednesday, September 27 2006 14:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Karachi: It will not be an easy ride for Pakistan at the much-hyped disciplinary hearing of skipper Inzamam-ul Haq starting in London Wednesday (27 Sep, 2006) with the ICC being armed with the best set of lawyers and the law itself.

PCB sources say the presence of ICC General Manager Dave Richardson at the two-day hearing can affect their defence.

"The scenario is not very good. The ICC has sent Dave Richardson for the hearing. He is a former lawyer and has a history of overriding even the referees in such hearings," a source in the Pakistan Cricket Board tells.

He says when PCB Director Saleem Altaf had pushed the case of pacer Shabbir Ahmed, who has been banned for a year for having an illegal bowling action, he also went to attend the appeal hearing very confident of getting a positive reply.

"But at the hearing Dave Richardson dominated everyone and all the ICC nominated members went along with him and the ban was not lifted," the source states.

PCB sources say if Pakistan has prepared for the hearing with a strong set of lawyers the same is true of the ICC.

The PCB legal team includes Mark Gay, who represented the football association in the case of Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand missing a drugs test in 2003.

But the source says the ICC legal team is also very strong and they had law on their side.

The concern expressed by the PCB sources appears to echo in the statement of PCB Chairman, Shaharyar Khan when contacted in London.