KARACHI, March 19, 2008 (AFP) - Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said he was "disgusted" by controversial umpire Darrell Hair's reinstatement, saying that players would now be afraid to stand up to officials.
Inzamam clashed with Hair in the forfeited Oval Test between Pakistan and England in August 2006, which led to the Australian umpire's ban from standing in top level matches. "I am terribly shocked and disgusted at the news," Inzamam said from India, where he is featuring in the Indian Cricket League. Hair was recalled to the elite panel of umpires on Tuesday after the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to reinstate him in its board meeting held in Dubai.
"I would blame the Pakistan Cricket Board for bowing down in Hair's case and no player will now stand against injustices at international level. Hair was at fault but he is reinstated like a hero," said Inzamam.
Hair and his West Indian colleague Billy Doctrove penalised Inzamam-led Pakistan five runs for alleged ball-tampering, a decision which infuriated Inzamam who refused to take field after tea on the fourth day of the match.
As a result the match was awarded to England on forfeit, the first such result in the history of the game.
I've deliberately avoided this subject after all the problem's following Bob Woolmer's death, the problems in Pakistan culminating in Benazir Bhutto's murder, etc but this stement from INZIE really takes the proverbial biscuit. What exactly did Mr Hair do that was so heinous regarding the Oval Test. In a nutshell he and Doctrove simply upheld the laws of the noble game. May I suggest Inzie you go back and find that hole in the ground you came from. There's no call for this kind of behaviour in the modern game.
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