Splitting hairs over Darrell

Australian Hair, 55, was sacked from the ICC8217;s elite panel of umpires in November 2006 for his role at the Oval in August that year when Pakistan became the first team to forfeit a test. Pakistan refused to return to the field in protest after being penalised for alleged ball-tampering and England being awarded five extra runs. Richardson hinted, however, that Hair would not be barred from officiating in all matches involving Asian teams. 8220;It8217;s pointless having an umpire on the elite panel who is excluded from umpiring certain teams,8221; he added. 8220;There are always going to be stages in an umpire8217;s career when he is not flavour of the month but he will come up against an Asian team at some stage. 8220;Darrell Hair, over time, seems to polarise opinion but a lot of his supporters will feel it8217;s justified to bring him back and that he was unjustly kept on the sidelines in the first place.8221;

ICC president-elect David Morgan told reporters on Tuesday the council8217;s decision to reinstate Hair was unanimous. 8220;Darrell Hair is a good, competent umpire and his position will be reviewed after March 31, 2009 as is the case with other umpires at the end of their contracts. It was a unanimous decision to reinstate him.8221; The move came after Hair underwent a rehabilitation programme devised by the ICC.