WORCESTERSHIRE'S South African all-rounder Andrew Hall will miss the Test series in Pakistan after losing his appeal against a two-match ban.

Match referee Clive Lloyd's decision was upheld by Sir Oliver Popplewell of the International Cricket Council's Code of Conduct Commission.

Hall was banned for elbowing Pakistan batsman Yousuf Youhana during a one-day match in Lahore last week. The incident also led to Hall and South African skipper Graeme Smith being suspended for the final one-dayer.

But Hall was found guilty of a level three breach of the Code of Conduct, which carries a minimum penalty of a two-Test ban.

"No one who has seen the video, and I have seen it four or five times, can be in any doubt that there was a very serious confrontation," said Sir Oliver, a former judge at England's High Court.

But the United Cricket Board of South Africa has criticised the punishment handed out to Hall and Smith, and to Shaun Pollock, who was fined for showing dissent to umpire Darrell Hair in the game.