The Hindu : Front Page : Hair offered to quit for $500,000

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 26, 2006

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Hair offered to quit for $500,000

LONDON: Umpire Darrell Hair offered to resign in the wake of the fourth Test fiasco if the ICC paid him $500,000, ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said on Friday.

Hair and fellow umpire Billy Doctrove ruled that Pakistan illegally interfered with the ball last Sunday in the final Test against England at The Oval and imposed a five-run penalty. The visitors protested by not coming out after the tea break and the Test was awarded to England, which won the series 3-0.

``On Tuesday, 22 August, I was handed a letter written on that day by Darrell Hair to Doug Cowie, who is the ICC umpires and referees manager,'' Speed said on Friday.

``In the letter, Darrell Hair offered to leave his job as a top official in the ICC in exchange for a payment of $500,000.

``Darrell Hair was under great stress when he wrote these letters, and I am confident that Darrell Hair had no dishonest, underhand or malicious intent — he was seeking to find a solution in the interests of the game,'' Speed added.

Hair responded to Speed's disclosure of his letter by claiming he had rescinded his offer.

``There is now a communication from myself to the ICC in the public domain,'' Hair said in a statement. ``This correspondence was composed after a very difficult time and was revoked by myself two days later after a period of serious consideration.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed to the International Cricket Council that Monday's Twenty20 match and the subsequent one-day series will go ahead as scheduled. — AP

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