Hair reinstated as ICC Elite Panel umpire

CNN-IBN

BACK IN BUSINESS: Hair was banned from umpiring after the controversial Oval Test in 2006.

New Delhi: Australian Umpire Darrell Hair, who was controversially banned from officiating international matches in 2006 after the forfeited England-Pakistan Test at the Oval, has been reinstated to full duties.

That effectively means Hair can stand in Tests and One-day internationals again.

Hair was barred from international games by the ICC after demands from the PCB which had accused him of racism and bias.

Hair and Billy Doctrove had accused the Pakistan team of ball-tampering and awarded England five penalty runs in the fourth Test of their series at the Oval in 2006.

In protest, then Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq had refused to bring his team back out on to the ground after the tea break and England were awarded the match.

Hair, 55, has then officiated in 12 ODIs involving smaller nations, also undergoing a six-month rehabilitation programme, which is said to have cleared his way to a return to top-flight international cricket. The umpire still has a year left in his contract with the ICC.