BREAKING NEWS : Hair wrote to ICC offering to resign

[BoyBrumby]

The Muralitharan thing - yes Hair was the only umpire that called him, but I believed he chucked, and i still don't think his action should be allowed. I don't see any 'racism' in that.

From the current crop of bowlers, Akhtar at times I do believe has a funny action, as does Harbajan Singh at some times.

One thing i've noticed, is that these bowlers come out with the long sleeved clothes to 'cover it up' more. It makes it less noticeable, but I still believe there is a flaw in harbhajan's action.

Outside the subcontinent, Brett Lee is the only one I can think off, of the top of my head.


So I guess in that sense, there hasn't been much outside the sub continent to call a no ball on.

This time i'ts been blatantly stupid, but really, i'm not sure if racism is the factor for it.

Other than these two things, i can't recall anything MAJOR (bad decisions happen all the time to any umpire)

Think harder! Jermaine Lawson, James Kirtley & Johan Botha all have questionable actions. Lawson tends to wear his tee-shirts below the elbow too.

Peter Roebuck has even suggested that Fred chucks his faster ball too, although I can't see it myself.

 

[marc71178]

However, I don't recall Australia, or england having any problems with him.

It'd be a bit difficult to have a problem with someone when they've never officiated you.

 

[marc71178]

The Muralitharan thing - yes Hair was the only umpire that called him

But he wasn't was he?

 

[Jono]

It'd be a bit difficult to have a problem with someone when they've never officiated you.

ODIs?

 

[Slow Love™]

It'd be a bit difficult to have a problem with someone when they've never officiated you.

Hair was umpiring for a few years before the days of neutral umpires - I think the first series he presided over was between Australia and India.

 

[Slow Love™]

In a way, after all the chips have fallen (actually there's probably still a few left to fall), I feel sympathy for Hair. I don't really believe there's a strong case for him being a racist, and though I don't think he comes off that pleasant a guy, the absolute b0llocking he's got in the press, and the sheer breadth of the vitriol around the world, as well as how bad everything looks after Speed shared that letter with the media... Well, I hope he's all right, and doesn't do something like top himself.

It might sound over the top, but I can't imagine what I'd do when I'd sunk years and so many hours into a prominent international career making crucial decisions, and staking my honor and pride on the job that I do, only to be so thoroughly trashed and discredited in the press - to the point which I will always be remembered a particular way, and in many quarters, in the worst of categories. IMO, there's no way he deserves that - I still think he made a call that he genuinely believed to be right back when Murali was called (and technically, he was before science opened up other options). To think that this call could prove so ruinous is fairly shocking when you think about it, even if you consider his previous poor history with some of the subcontinental sides.

 

[marc71178]

I must admit I was only thinking of Tests, and had actually forgotten the days pre-neutral umpires.

That said, I would wager he's not actually umpired Australia that much relative to the number of games he's had other sides.

 

[Jono]

In a way, after all the chips have fallen (actually there's probably still a few left to fall), I feel sympathy for Hair. I don't really believe there's a strong case for him being a racist.

In regards to whether I believe Hair to be a racist or not, my personal belief (and its just a hunch) is that Hair somehow believes that sub-continental sides (or the sub-continent in general I guess) is somehow ruining, or doing damage to what he believes cricket should be. Whether that makes him a racist or not is up for debate I guess, but I do think he has something against teams from the sub-continent (or rather, he treats them 'differently), rather than simply disliking 'brown' people if you will.

 

[Slow Love™]

In regards to whether I believe Hair to be a racist or not, my personal belief (and its just a hunch) is that Hair somehow believes that sub-continental sides (or the sub-continent in general I guess) is somehow ruining, or doing damage to what he believes cricket should be. Whether that makes him a racist or not is up for debate I guess, but I do think he has something against teams from the sub-continent (or rather, he treats them 'differently), rather than simply disliking 'brown' people if you will.

Yep. I don't know for certain either, but that is just about exactly what I suspect, too.

 

[chipmonk]

Ranatunga says Hair should be taken off the panel and be rehabilitated and brought back after some time.

 

[Sanz]

I must admit I was only thinking of Tests, and had actually forgotten the days pre-neutral umpires.

That said, I would wager he's not actually umpired Australia that much relative to the number of games he's had other sides.

Out of 76 tests Darrell Hair has umpired, 21 of those tests involved Australia and 34 involved England. out of which Eng and Aus both played in 3 games, so that means he has umpired 31+24 = 55 test matches invloving England and Aus.

http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?...=0;viewtype=list;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype

 

[magsi23]

And what proof do you have of that?

Bearing in mind that it's not just the Pakistani team that have complained about him, in fact teams from all areas of the World have...

All areas of the world? as in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan? never heard any one else complaining about him.

Point is its not about Hair making bad descions nor i am trying to justify what Pakistan did at the oval, Had it been a Test match between England and South Africa, non of this would have happend and i have no doubt about that.

 

[magsi23]

Ranatunga says Hair should be taken off the panel and be rehabilitated and brought back after some time.

Dont think he should be brought back at all

 

[PY]

Out of 76 tests Darrell Hair has umpired, 21 of those tests involved Australia and 34 involved England. out of which Eng and Aus both played in 3 games, so that means he has umpired 31+24 = 55 test matches invloving England and Aus.

http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?...=0;viewtype=list;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype

Just for clarity, 3 were Ashes matches and he was the 3rd umpire in 3 too.

In fact, I've no idea how you've done that math.

Appear to have taken 3 off England and slapped them straight on Aus....though we get your point.

 

[Anna]

Don't have the time to read through all of this......I just want to say, I think it's ridiculous that people think it's outrageous for Hair to ask for a payment. Well, if it was someone in a less high-profile job who was ending their contract early, they'd get some money for future loss of earnings, so I don't see why it should be viewed any differently.

Actually, this article in The Times pretty much sums up my thoughts on the matter of the whole ball tampering incident

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,426-2324616,00.html

 

[Kweek]

super article Anna really good..says it all really!

 

[Fusion]

super article Anna really good..says it all really!

Pfftt. I prefer this one...says it all really!

 

[Kweek]

but your from pakistan..you just can't help it.

 

[chipmonk]

Cut Hair off elite panel, says Ranatunga
PTI


COLOMBO, Aug 26: Sri Lanka's World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga wants Darrel Hair to be taken off Elite Panel of ICC Umpires in the wake of the revelation that the Australian had offered to quit his post in exchange of money following the ball tampering row.

Ranatunga, who had threatened to walk-out on Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in 1997-98 when Muttiah Muralitharan was for chucking in a one-day match, said "bad characters" like Hair were spoiling relations between countries by their conduct and it was time the ICC took a firm action against him.

"ICC should take a very firm action. Hair has had enough problems in the past. The ICC had taken off Hair from their panel earlier, they should do that again. Keep him out for some time and rehabilitate him before bringing him back again," he said.

Ranatunga said issues like these were souring relations between two teams.

"With issues like these, relations between two countries suffer the most. (Because of Hair's decision to call Murali) the Australian fans jeered our team when they toured Down Under last. People get angry with countries because of the conduct of some of the officials."

Taking a swipe at Hair, Ranatunga said the Aussie "might come out with a book in three months, it will sell very good."

Following the Murali chucking controversy, Hair had come out with his autobiography "Decision Maker" in 1998 in which he had termed Sri Lankan offie's action as "diabolical" and stated that he would not hesitate to call the bowler again.

Asked if Hair was biased against Asian teams, he said, "when people like Hair are there, it invariably happens that the teams from Asia are at the receiving end."

However, he did not agree with Wasim Akram's view that ICC had become a forum for white people.

"One should not put the blame on ICC. It appoints umpires and if some of the characters behave badly, you cannot really blame ICC for that."

Ranatunga also said that had he been leading the side instead of Inzamam-ul Haq at the Oval, the match would have stopped the moment Hair decided to dock his team five runs for ball-tampering.

"Inzamam is one of the nicer guys in cricket. He should have acted right at the moment when the ball was changed. He should have protested there and then, consulted the match referee and taken a decision. But maybe he wanted to keep the spirit of the game."

The former batsman also said Hair had done a grave mistake by making such a serious charge as ball tampering without any concrete evidence.

"There were 26 cameras covering the action. None of them caught any Pakistan player doing anything untoward.

"If Hair did spot anything amiss, he should have brought it to the notice of Inzamam and the Match Referee.

"It is a big accusation and should not be made on the basis of a mere suspicion."

 

[Fusion]

but your from pakistan..you just can't help it.

If this was a joke, it wasn't funny. If it isn't, I'll reserve my comments on what I think about it in fear of saying something I might regret later.