Hair breaks silence to hit back at critics

Umpire Darrell Hair
14 April 2012
Umpire Darrell Hair finally breaks his silence over the ball-tampering row that plunged cricket into crisis exclusive

Darrell Hair, the umpire at the centre of cricket's biggest controversy since Bodyline more than 70 years ago, has broken his silence to hit back at those critics who have condemned his role in the Pakistan ball-tampering affair.

In an exclusive interview, Hair, 53 and a member of the International Cricket Council's elite panel of Test officials, denies charges against him of racism and greed and insists that he wants to 'carry on and enjoy the rest of my career as an umpire'.

Whether he gets the opportunity to do that will almost certainly depend on the outcome of the ICC disciplinary hearing at the end of this month, when he will give evidence in the case against Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who is charged with ball-tampering and bringing the game into disrepute over his team's 'strike' which ended the fourth Test with the first forfeit in history.

While Hair refuses to talk explicitly about the incident at The Oval, when he and his fellow umpire Billy Doctrove started the furore by changing the ball and penalising Pakistan five runs, he does insist that he would never intervene in a match unless he absolutely had to, with the captain of any team — and by implication Inzamam — responsible for his players upholding the laws.

"Cricket places the onus on captains for them to ensure that the game is played fairly within the laws and spirit of cricket," said Hair. "The umpires intervene only when they decide the game is not being played within the spirit of the game. People will tell you in matches I have umpired in the past 20 years that I have shown considerable restraint.

"Test match cricket is meant to be played in a tough and uncompromising manner and I have no problem with that, provided that ultimately the game continues within the true spirit of the game.

"There have been many times when official action could have been taken but wasn't because you try to control the issue and resolve it on the pitch.

"All good umpires will have a quiet word rather than jump in. I prefer the principle of non-intervention. That is a preferable route compared with someone making a song and dance about something that could be resolved quietly. But the decision to intervene all finally depends on the seriousness of the matter."

Until now, Hair has refused to comment on the strife that has engulfed him ever since the bizarre events of the fourth day of the final Test between England and Pakistan three weeks ago, but he says he has been deeply hurt by the criticism of him and his English wife, Amanda, who live in Lincoln.

He has suffered sleepless nights, especially with worries over how his 85-year-old widowed and sick mother in Australia is coping with the situation, but his spirits have been buoyed by hundreds of letters of support — some addressed simply 'Darrell Hair, cricket umpire, Lincoln'.

The most painful have been suggestions that the decision to penalise Inzamam's team was motivated by racism and that his subsequent offer, revealed by the ICC, to walk away from umpiring in return for compensation of more than £250,000 was the result of personal greed.

"It really upsets me when people describe me as racist, because they have no idea how I spent my childhood and how that shaped my beliefs in adult life," said Hair. "Money has never been a driving force in my career as an umpire.

"No umpire I know does it for money. I can honestly say I am earning less than half I could have commanded in salary had I stayed in the private sector as sales manager of a clothing manufacturer in Melbourne.

"How can people judge me to have prejudices when I went to school in Australia alongside Chinese children, Hungarian refugees and all manner of other nationalities?

"I grew up in Orange, in central New South Wales, living next door to a large family of Aborigines. I had some of my happiest times playing rugby and cricket with the children. They were like brothers and sisters to me.

"It's particularly hurtful when I count as some of my closest friends the Pakistan umpires Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf, and the Sri Lankans Asoka de Silva and Peter Manuel. We are men from different cultures drawn together by the game of cricket. We exchange views and I have always found men of that calibre tremendously supportive."

Hair has retained his sense of purpose and ambition to continue in the game if allowed after the hearing in London, but cannot disguise his dismay over the vicious nature of some of the comment that has upset him and his family.

"Amanda has been affected by this," he said. "Normally she is very strong, an implacable woman. I think it has affected her because she knows a lot about cricket. She has spent a lot of her time on cricket committees and has a passion for the game herself.

'The messages I have received from official cricketing bodies around the world have been very encouraging'

"Some of the ill-informed comments made have upset her deeply. No matter how much I tell her not to worry, she does worry because she does not like to see what she perceives as injustice."

Hair, relaxed, smiling, affable and sporting an open-necked black shirt when arriving at the front door of a law firm in central London, named appropriately Finers, Stephens, Innocent, revealed how invigorating he and his wife had found a few days' break in the Yorkshire Dales.

"But however much we tried, it was difficult not to be aware of what was being said on TV, radio and in newspapers," he added.

"Yes, I watched and listened and at some stages became very frustrated by the way things were turning out. I can honestly say that all the letters, emails and text messages I have received have been supportive.

"The vast majority of people who have written, I have never met. A lot of them clearly do support the role of the umpire. None of the letters have been abusive. The messages I have received from official cricketing bodies around the world have been very encouraging."

An international umpire for 15 years, Hair has been embroiled in previous controversies involving players from the subcontinent, notably when he called Sri Lanka's spin bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan, for throwing.

Pakistan were also angry with him for his performance in their home series against England last winter and approached the ICC about preventing him from officiating in their matches.

But Hair claims that the reception he has experienced in Asia has always been warm.

"Pakistan is particularly receptive to a visiting umpire like myself," he said. "Their idea of a venue for a chat about umpiring is one of their wonderful restaurants. They are very hospitable people and the discussion goes on all night. The subcontinent has so many happy memories for me and officiating in that region has been instrumental in improving many aspects of my umpiring."

That might be different after September 28 when the ICC hearing in London could decide his future. If Inzamam escapes without a ban, Hair's reputation will be in tatters and the ICC will be under pressure to drop him.

Hair claims the whereabouts of THAT ball is of little concern to him in the build-up to the hearing. The ICC have already admitted they are considering conducting forensic tests on it to ensure they discover what really happened at The Oval and it will be the centre of attention later this month.

But does Hair feel he has been hung out to dry by his employer a fortnight before the hearing?

Hair will only say: "My wish is to carry on and enjoy the rest of my career as an umpire. That is what I would like to do. My contract runs to April 2008. After that, who knows? How I am involved in cricket after that date is in the mixing bowl."

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