"The president spoke to captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and supported the stance the team took in protest against the allegations of ball tampering," a senior government official told AFP.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said Musharraf also spoke to the team management soon after the dispute erupted on the fourth day of the Test at the Oval.

Pakistan refused to take the field after tea to protest at a decision by Australian umpire Darrell Hair to award five runs to England and change an allegedly tampered-with ball.

When the Pakistani team refused to take the field, the umpires forfeited the match and awarded the Test to England.

Protests broke out in Pakistan on Monday as angry mobs torched newspaper photographs which showed Hair removing the bails at The Oval.

Inzamam defended his decision to stay off the field initially, saying he was defending Pakistan's pride.