Well, this sounds like a rather unsightly debacle, what?
Umpire Darrell Hair has come out fighting in his first public comments since being engulfed in the storm that has rocked cricket.
The Australian penalised Pakistan five penalty runs for ball-tampering during the fourth Test on Sunday before the match was sensationally abandoned.
Updated: More cricket story text below fold. Frankly, there'd probably be less ball tampering in Pakistan if only Whitney were there for Osama to handle.
After the unhappy Pakistani players returned to their dressing room following a decision of bad light, tempers ran high and the tourists refused to return to the field.
This led to lengthy negotiations from officials of both sides and the Pakistan team later re-appeared.
However by then the umpires Hair and Billy Doctrove had taken the decision that the Pakistan team had forfeited the match and it was sensationally awarded to England.
In Australian newspaper The Courier Mail, Hair said: "People who know me and the sort of person I am know I would not take action unless I really thought it was necessary."
"I stand by what I have done but if anything comes out at the inquiry that proves me incorrect I would accept that too. The process would have been followed.
"If other people have issues they want to use to force me out it will be an interesting battle. The media criticism has been hot over here... that surprises me. But life goes on; nobody died.
Nobody died? That's easy for him to say, after all, no one tampered with his balls.
Updated. Still not really sure whose balls they were at the time, though.


Comments