THE International Cricket Council has confirmed Darrell Hair is unlikely to umpire any Test or one-day internationals involving Pakistan in the near future.
The governing body stressed no conditions had been attached to Hair's return to the elite panel of umpires, but said common sense would prevail when appointing match officials.
Hair was removed from the elite panel in the aftermath of the row dur
ing the Oval Test between Pakistan and England in August 2006. He and fellow umpire Billy Doctrove penalised the tourists five runs for ball-tampering on day four, with Pakistan's then captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and his men consequently refusing to leave their dressing room after tea in protest.
Inzamam has expressed his shock and disappointment at the decision to reinstate Hair and has called for the ICC to review the matter further.
An ICC spokesman said: "There are no conditions to Darrell Hair's resumption of his umpiring career.
"As always, we will adopt a common sense approach. We will always try to appoint an appropriate umpire to a series and as such, it would be unlikely for Darrell Hair to be appointed to any Pakistan matches in the near future."
Former Pakistan skipper Inzamam, who was given a four-match ban for misconduct arising from the ball-tampering row, said: "It has come as a shocker to me. Especially after all that happened in the Oval Test and afterwards.
"What more proof do they require (that] Hair was not fit to stand in international matches?
"I don't know what happened in this ICC meeting. I don't know the details but what I know is that after the Oval Test, it was clear Hair should not supervise international matches.
"Why that has changed is surprising to me. Our board still needs to review this issue."
Shaharyar Khan, who was president of the Pakistan Cricket Board at the time of the row, concurred with Inzamam over Hair's return.
"I just don't understand it," he said. "Fifteen months ago this man was not fit for umpiring, but now all of a sudden the ICC has changed its decision."
But England one-day captain Paul Collingwood
said: "The times Darrell has actually umpired us I thought he has done a very good job. He's good to talk to on the pitch, he's very good with the players."
The full article contains 397 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
