Was Darrell Hair Hung out to dry by the ICC?

Darrell Hair has been hung out to dry in the aftermath of the 4^th Test between England and Pakistan at the Oval, but I cannot say this with great conviction.

His actions in that test match and following has been poor.  Two incidents in particular have emphasised this.  Firstly, his lack of communication with the Pakistan captain and subsequent penalty for ball tampering was poorly handled.  The fact that Inzamam Ul-Haq was cleared of ball tampering has not helped his decision.

The other incident revolved around Darrell’s attempt to blackmail the ICC for US$500,000, which would see him step down from the elite umpiring panel.  For these actions, I believe Darrell deserves to be punished.

However, the only problem I have had with this whole saga is the sole focus on Darrell.  Many parties need to be recognised for their actions.  Billy Doctrove was also umpiring this match.  Inzamam’s stubbornness resulted in the match actually being forfeited.  Shaharyar Khan’s repeated attempts to play the race card resulted in widespread hatred of Darrell in the sub-continent.

The final criticism must go to the ICC match referee Mike Proctor.  If the match referee can’t handle these situations, why bother having one.

THE GURU