Darrell Hair, who has been dropped from the ICC’s elite panel of umpires, was omitted yesterday from the ECB’s first-class list for 2007, despite having stood in more Test matches than the combined total of the 24 individuals on it. Because he would have no international commitments to interfere with the domestic programme in England, he could have been promoted to the list to replace David Constant, who retired at the end of last season.
Hair, who penalised Pakistan for ball-tampering during the abandoned fourth Test at the Brit Oval in August, has served on the ECB’s reserve list for the past two years but was not offered the chance to step up. Constant will be replaced by Tim Robinson, the former England batsman who has been on the reserve list for four years.
The fact that he has served on it for longer than Hair, who is 54 and has been a Test umpire since 1991, was not an issue, according to Chris Kelly, the ECB’s umpires and match operations manager, although Peter Willey, chairman of the umpires’ association, felt that it was relevant.
“We had two discussions with Darrell and we need to be clear what his position is with ICC,” Kelly said. “We did not ask him directly to come on to the list. The ICC has not confirmed he is off the elite list for good and he is still under contract to it until April 2008. Darrell understands the situation, is very happy with the outcome and concerns about his safety were not an issue. He was fast-tracked on to the reserve list originally because he was very experienced.”
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Hair, who has learnt that umpires standing in matches in Sydney this weekend will be wearing black ribbons in sympathy with his exclusion from international cricket, wants to resolve his future with the ICC before considering whether to apply for any role within the sport around the world.
He spoke to his solicitors yesterday. “I remain disappointed with the ICC’s decision and have instructed them to write to Malcolm Speed [the chief executive of the ICC] to resolve the situation,” he said. “I am still overwhelmed by the support I have had since August. The number of letters I have received have been in the thousands, including one addressed to ‘Darrell Hair, umpire, Lincoln’, which ended up at Lord’s. I have had discussions with the ECB and I just want to carry on umpiring.”
Willey does not think that Hair will officiate in a Test again. “There are countries who will fight against him,” Willey said. Although, like all his colleagues, he is sympathetic towards Hair, he does not believe that he should be on the full list ahead of Robinson.
“If I was kicked off the ICC’s panel, I would not expect to go straight on,” Willey said. “He is a good umpire, but let him settle back in because the media will be turning up to watch him. Tim has received good marks on the reserve list and he deserves his place.”
Willey has not been in touch with Hair since the Oval Test. “Goodwill messages don’t put bread on the table,” he said.
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If Hair is banned from standing in international cricket for good, he could apply for a new role as one of a small number of assessors of first-class umpires in England next year. The ECB will decide at its meeting tomorrow whether there are sufficient funds for the scheme to be put into place. Willey suggested that Hair would be a suitable candidate.
Umpires who have little standing