The return of Darrell Hair - well almost.

[Slow Love™]

But Percy Sonn was just explaining what the ruling meant. The ICC is run by the board, Sonn and Speed are just employees, they can't overrule the board. They are trying to find him some work to show that they haven't lost faith in him, and to embarrass the asian bloc to a certain degree.

If I was in Sonn/Speed's position, and I believed in Hair's case, then thats the way I'd go about it: Interpret the ban literally and only prohibit him from officiating in tests and ODI's involving test nations.

Yeah, I think you're missing the point - I've already said exactly that months ago. I know what they are doing. But your public comments make you accountable, and by Sonn's explanation, the ICC has lost confidence in Hair. He did not distinguish between the executive branch's opinion, and that of the member countries when he said that.

We all know that if a microphone is thrust in their face, and they're asked why Hair is umpiring official games for the ICC, they're not going to say "Well, you see, this is an ongoing dispute between us (whoever "us" is) and the majority of the member countries that compose our board...". The fact is, they don't owe Hair a damn thing but to pay out his contract. Appointing him to umpire official ICC fixtures merely makes the organization look even more of a mockery than it already is.

 

[Richard]

Appointing him to umpire official ICC fixtures merely makes the organization look even more of a mockery than it already is.

That ceased to be possible about 4 years ago!

Any organisation that refused to acknowledge that Zimbabwe's continued presence in the international fold was no longer appropriate had sunk as low as it's possible to go. Nothing can increase the making-a-mockery stakes from there!

 

[Slow Love™]

That ceased to be possible about 4 years ago!

Any organisation that refused to acknowledge that Zimbabwe's continued presence in the international fold was no longer appropriate had sunk as low as it's possible to go. Nothing can increase the making-a-mockery stakes from there!

Something I've learned over the years is that you should never assume you've hit rock bottom, 'cause there's always further to fall. I've been the recipient of this particular lesson far too many times for my liking.

 

[Richard]

I'd never dream of assuming I'd hit rock-bottom, but where ICC are concerned nothing drags them further down IMO since WC2003... the countless hundreds of pieces of nonsense they come-out with merely thuds into the floor once again...