Pakistan considering action against Hair by AFP

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Ground:	Kennington Oval, Kennington
Scorecard:	England v Pakistan
Player:	DB Hair
Event:	Pakistan in British Isles 2006

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DateLine: 29th September 2006

 

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman (PCB) Shaharyar Khan said it stood by its request for an inquiry into the conduct of umpire Darrell Hair during last month's 'forfeit' Test at The Oval, saying it was possible a disrepute charge against the Australian could yet be levelled.

 

His comments came after Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was cleared Thursday of ball-tampering but banned for four one-day internationals for bringing cricket into disrepute.

 

Pakistan twice refused to take the field after tea on the fourth day, a stance that saw star batsman Inzamam banned after a two-day International Cricket Council (ICC) hearing at The Oval concluded Thursday.

 

They did so in protest at the decision of umpires Hair and West Indies' Billy Doctrove to penalise them five runs for ball-tampering earlier in the day.

 

Their stand saw Pakistan forfeit the match - the first time this had happened in 129 years of Test cricket - and England were awarded a win which gave them the series 3-0.

 

Soon afterwards Shaharyar called for an inquiry and on Thursday he told reporters at The Oval: "What we have done is to already ask the ICC (before the hearing) to investigate Mr Hair's conduct in the match for bringing the game into disrepute.

 

"It is for the ICC to say whether or not this is to be investigated and what the outcome will be. We asked the ICC before the hearing and they replied to us saying they would not do it now, implying that would have to wait for hearing, so our request is already well. So for me to say we would not press further is not correct."

 

Khan, who indicated that on the basis of the summary judgment they'd received Thurdsay the PCB would not be appealing against Inzamam's ban, reiterated his country's strong objections to Hair, saying they had a problem with the Australian's "attitudes".

 

"I can tell you that we have already informed the ICC before this hearing that we wouldn't like to have Darrell Hair umpire out matches," said Khan. "Not only for the Champions Trophy but also until his contract runs out (in 2008).

 

"Let me say, we have never raised any objection to any elite or international umpire. We have a problem (with Hair), I'm not saying we will have to live with it forever, but we've asked the ICC to please be sensitive with their appointments.

 

"All I can say is that we objected to him, not just recently, but over a long period of time."

 

Khan made a comparison between the present situation and what happened to Hair after he no-balled Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in 1995.

 

"Our demand was that he should not umpire our matches. We can't speak for other countries. When Sri Lanka had a problem with Hair in 1995 he wasn't posted to Sri Lanka for eight years.

 

"The ICC maintains, as it did then, that no country has the power to say umpire X will stand and umpire Y won't. This is not for us to say where umpires stand, and we respect that.

 

"But I think when you have a consistent problem with an umpire the ICC must look at it.

 

"I think the ICC was right with Hair and Sri Lanka, but with us when we conveyed this view through umpires reports we then had Hair four times in succession. We feel very aggrieved at that.

 

"Here we are. We have a problem with an umpire from his attitudes - not technically - but why post him. In four consecutive series in one year Mr Hair was standing in our matches.

 

"It was a time bomb waiting to go off and it did go off."

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)