In a revelation which is bound to raise the hackles of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Darrell Hair is all set to officiate in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in India after an ICC source confirmed the controversial Australian umpire's appointment for the October-November event.
The under-fire Aussie, who forfeited the Oval Test between England and Pakistan in favour of the hosts after Inzamam-ul Haq's men refused to take the field following the infamous ball-tampering row, is set to return to action in the showpiece event.
"Yes, I am down to umpire in the Champions Trophy and I expect to fulfill that appointment," Hair told the Daily Telegraph newspaper in London.
Meanwhile, the ICC has also given a thumbs up to Hair's return after the ball-tampering controversy.
"Hair is still regarded as one of our best umpires. It's a safe bet that he'll be there [for the Champions Trophy],'' the Sydney Morning Herald quoted an ICC source as saying.
ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed had already thrown his weight behind Hair by saying that the Australian is one of the best on its elite panel of umpires.
Hair, meanwhile, is all excited about his first international assignment after the Oval fiasco and revealed that he would be leaving for the sub-continent early in November.
"I'm not sure what matches I'll be doing but I'll leave for India in early November. I'm looking forward to it," he said.
Hair's appointment is likely to be met with disapproval from the PCB, which has made it clear that it did not want the Australian umpire in any match featuring Pakistan. Reports after the ball-tampering row had even quoted PCB chief Shahryar Khan as saying that Pakistan might withdraw from the Champions Trophy if Hair was appointed for the event.
The Australian umpire had raised a furore by accusing Pakistan of tampering with the ball in the match. He caused further fury by asking for 5,00,000 dollar from the ICC to step down from the Elite International Panel of Umpires.
Meanwhile, after some initial controversy, the appointment of umpires for the Ashes is also going ahead smoothly with Cricket Australia (CA) announcing that neutral umpires will stand in the much-anticipated series.
The decision rules out the possibility of ICC's Umpire of the Year for the past two years, Simon Taufel, who belongs to New South Wales, as a possible appointment for the series.
"While we understand there are some people wanting the top two umpires in the world, we are firmly committed to the neutral umpire system and have no plans at all to push for change," CA spokesman Peter Young told the Herald Sun.
