Brisbane: Pakistan's bid to have Darrell Hair barred from standing in its future matches after the controversial forfeit in London will not influence how umpires are appointed, International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed says.
Hair sparked outrage in Pakistan by first penalising the Pakistani lineup for allegedly tampering with the ball, then ruling that Inzamam-ul-Haq and his team had forfeited the fourth test to England by refusing to return to the field at the start of a session.
''It is not the role of the ICC to overturn the decisions of umpires, the people who are enshrined in the Laws of Cricket as the sole judges of fair and unfair play, the ultimate arbiters of the game,'' Speed said in a statement. ''In this instance the decision made by Billy Doctrove and Darrell Hair to award the match to England was correct under the laws.''
Pakistan remained in the pavilion to protest against Hair's tampering allegation, but later went onto the field for Sunday's last session at The Oval. By then it was too late because umpires Hair and Doctrove had declared the match over with a day and a session remaining.
It was the first forfeit in 129 years of test cricket.
Hair, notorious for no-balling Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for chucking in 1995, took the brunt of the criticism in the English and Pakistan media for being too officious.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan lodged a formal request with the ICC that Hair never again officiate in a match involving its national, citing his on field attitude as the major concern.
Addressing Pakistan's complaint, Speed said, "it remains the role of the ICC and not our members to appoint umpires to tests and one-day internationals."
Speed and cricket committee chairman Sunil Gavaskar, a former India captain, decide on the umpire schedules following recommendations from the ICC's cricket department.
"The appointments are made without fear or favor and are based on the performances of the umpires," Speed said.
Inzamam faces a disciplinary hearing with ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle of Sri Lanka on Friday, charged with bringing the game into disrepute for leading the boycott and for the original allegation of altering the condition of the ball.
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Pakistan has threatened to pull out of the upcoming limited-overs series against England if its captain is sanctioned.
Speed reiterated that the hearing would only deal with the charges.
''It is not a political, racial or religious matter but a cricketing one,'' he said. ''We have no vested interests in the outcome of the hearing but what we expect is that it will be fair and will illustrate our processes are suitably robust to deal with these issues.''
Hair, meanwhile, has defended his decisions from the match.
''People who know me and the sort of person I am know I would not take action unless I really thought it was necessary,'' Hair was quoted as saying in Wednesday's edition of Brisbane newspaper The Courier-Mail.
''I stand by what I have done, but if anything comes out at the inquiry that proves me incorrect I would accept that too. The media criticism has been hot ... that surprises me. But life goes on. People who know me and know umpiring have been full on with their support.''
Despite being described as a ''mini Hitler'' by Imran Khan, and condemned as a racist by others in Asia, Hair said: ''There is no problem with me and the subcontinent.''
''I have umpired quite a lot in the subcontinent over the last couple of years,'' he said. ''When the ICC have asked me to do a job, I try and do it to the best of my ability. I have always taken a lot of pride in my performance.''
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