• Tools:
• Save |
• Print |
• E-mail |
• Most Popular |

Pakistan cannot block umpire Hair

Adjust font size:

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Pakistan's demand that Australian umpire Darrell Hair should not be appointed at next month's Champions Trophy has been rejected by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

"The ICC have said that responsibility of appointing umpires was given to it by the executive board and no country should make such demands on it," a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said on Friday.

In the next few days, the ICC is due to announce the umpires for the Champions Trophy being staged in India from October.

Following the ball-tampering row with Hair at the Oval Test against England last month, the Pakistan board wrote to the ICC insisting Hair should not be considered.

Pakistan refused to play on in the fourth Test after Hair and fellow-umpire Billy Doctrove changed the ball and penalized them five runs for alleged ball-tampering.

The umpires awarded the Test to England and the ICC later charged captain Inzamam-u-Haq with several violations of its Code of Conduct. He is due to attend a two-day hearing in London from September 27.

"The letter had been sent to ICC president Percy Sonn in which we had expressed our reservations if Hair was appointed," said the unnamed official.

The official, however, said that indications were that the ICC was not on a confrontation path and would adopt the policy of keeping Hair out of Pakistan's matches in the tournament.

"The signals we have got is they will hold back the announcement for the semifinals and final and if we qualify, decide later. They will only announce umpires for the league matches now," he added.

The PCB official insisted that Pakistan would, however, not accept Hair in any of their matches at any cost.

Get up-to-the minute news from CNN CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.

---

• Wrestlers grapple with issues in, out of ring
• Texas escapee joins most-wanted list
• Are Zhu Zhu pets safe? Consumer group says no
• Karzai: U.S. must have patience
• Death toll rises in Russia nightclub inferno

• Irish PM to quit over payments scandal
• NATO chief: Afghan troop increase likely
• Militants hunted as calm retuns to Basra
• Pressure on Bush to skip Olympics
• BA sending misplaced T5 baggage to Milan

• Recruiting suicide bombers (2:50)
• London was lucky (2:36)
• Cars in London rigged as bombs (3:48)
• Second explosives-packed car foun (2:32)
• Soviet culture returns (3:47)