Rift between Woolmer and Inzamam

London: Bob Woolmer may soon resign as the coach of the Pakistan cricket team as his relation with the team management has "descended into acrimony" following the sensational ball-tampering row, a leading British newspaper claimed on Thursday.

Woolmer is believed to be angry at team manager Zaheer Abbas' lack of focussed leadership' in the fall-out to Sunday's controversial forfeiture of the fourth Test against England.

A report in The Daily Telegraph, quoting a team source, said Woolmer was "reaching the end of his tether" and it would be no surprise if he resigned at the end of the One-Day series against England.

"Woolmer's relations with Zaheer and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq have descended into acrimony," the report said.

Inzamam, on his part, felt that he could no longer trust his coach and suspected Woolmer of briefing the Pakistan Cricket Board behind his back.

The realisation that they have forfeited a Test has slowly dawned on the Pakistan cricket authorities and there will be a major investigation into what exactly happened in the Oval dressing room on Sunday.

"For the first time, details of what happened in the dressing room can be revealed. A picture has emerged of a confused and angry place where there was a lot of shouting and different advice being thrown at Inzamam," it said.

It is thought that Inzamam did not quite realise what his team had been accused of until he reached the dressing room.

"His comprehension of the English language is limited and he may not have understood what Darrell Hair was saying to him when he changed the ball. It was only when he returned to the dressing room, and the penny dropped, that thoughts of refusing to take the field again began to form," the report said.

Woolmer, the paper also claimed, had listed two or three options to the team, none of which involved refusing to take the field when play restarted.

"I am not sure how much of what Woolmer said was understood by Inzamam. Inzi decided the team would not go out," a team source was quoted as saying.

At tea break, the Pakistan dressing room was in chaos with PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan, Dr Nasim, a member of the ad hoc cricket committee which runs Pakistan cricket, and England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman David Morgan giving advise to captain Inzamam.

"Curiously enough, one man who should have played a decisive role, but did not, was Abbas. In fact, such was his detachment that at one stage on Sunday, while the debate raged in the dressing room, he was spotted on the balcony talking on his mobile phone," the report said.