Hair out of Champions Trophy

Following last month’s ball tampering controversy, umpire Darrell Hair has been stepped down from officiating in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in India due to “safety and security concerns.”

ICC media manager, Brian Murgatroyd, said “Darrell Hair will not umpire the ICC Champions Trophy on the basis of safety and security concerns. An announcement on the appointment of officials for that tournament will be made in due course.”

However, Hair himself has denied that he has umpired his last match. “Of course I wish to keep on being an umpire,” Hair stated. “My umpiring performance or career is on public record and if other people consider I am still good enough to umpire I will continue.”

“I think the last few weeks have been quite trying on everybody,” he continued. “The Code of Conduct is there to be applied, it’s been applied, I’m bound my own code of conduct but it’s good to have it over.”

“My contract at the ICC clearly states that I must umpire to the best of my ability. All I will say is I’m out there doing my best.”

The last month has been full of accusations of Hair being racist. Though denying that this saga has ended his chances of umpiring in some countries, “That will be up to other people to decide whether it has damaged my relationship with any other team around the world,” it is hard to see how he can ever umpire in the subcontinent again.