PAKISTAN: CRICKET - Cricket fans show their feelings over the ball-tampering row against England at demonstrations in Lahore and Karachi

Australian umpire Darrell Hair is standing by his decision to penalise Pakistan at the Oval on Sunday (August 20) and said he would fight any move to oust him. In his first interview since he and fellow umpire Billy Doctrove abandoned the final test against England after Pakistan failed to take the field immediately after tea in a row over ball tampering, Hair said he felt his actions were necessary. "People who know me and the sort of person I am know I would not take any action unless I really thought it was necessary," Hair told Wednesday's Sydney Daily Telegraph. "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 process would have been followed." After inspecting the match ball during the afternoon session on Sunday, Hair accused the Pakistan team of ball tampering and penalised them five runs. Pakistan captian Inzamam-ul-Haq kept his team in the dressing room after the tea interval in protest. Pakistan, who were in a strong position to win, emerged some time later but but Hair and Doctrove would not return. Hair, who has been involved in a few controversies with players from Asian nations in recent years, said he had no problems umpiring Pakistan, India, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. Inzamam faces suspension from eight one-day internationals or four tests if he is found guilty of ball tampering and bringing the game into disrepute when he faces an International Cricket Council (ICC) hearing in London on Friday. The captain received noisy support at demonstrations in Karachi and Lahore on Tuesday (August 22). The cricket association of Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, held a demonstration in front of the Press club on Tuesday in favour of Inzamam and against Hair while a religious group, Minhaj-ul-Quran organised a protest rally in Lahore, where most of the players, including Inzamam, live. Siraj-ul-Islam, general secretary of Karachi City Cricket Association, said: "We will say that whatever punishment he has given to Pakistan is just victimisation. And we protest to the international world that Pakistan should get justice, justice should be given by the ICC. We Pakistanis demand that this man should be removed from the panel of ICC umpires."

ITN Source | August 23, 2006

Tags:. .association. .accused. .strong. .process. .field