Pak media hails Hair ban

Lahore, Nov 5 (UNI) Pakistan media has hailed Australian umpire Darrell Hair's sacking as an international umpire as vindicating Pakistan's stand.

With the headline 'Cricket gets its badly needed Hair-cut', a report of The News said Hair's sacking as an international umpire was the happiest moment for Pakistan cricket this autumn.

''The Australian umpire was after all the man who triggered Pakistan cricket's summer of crisis in August and in the end had to pay the price for his actions.

''Though Hair did not have many friends in Sri Lanka or India, it were the Pakistanis who suffered the most at his hands. His sacking also shatters the myth that umpires are holy cows. It should now become clear to everyone that nobody is above the game and that includes the umpires,'' the report said.

Hair was sacked by the International Cricket Council (ICC) at its executive board meeting in Mumbai yesterday.

The report however said that the 7-3 verdict by the executive board to sack Hair has created further divisions in the already fragile cricket world, with the entire ''black'' Test playing nations pitted against the ''whites'' -- Australia, where Hair was born and England, where he lives, together with New Zealand.

''Though justice was delivered, it should have come in a different way. The 7-3 verdict, with the ''blacks'' pitted against the ''whites'', may make a martyr of Hair in his native Australia and England. It should have been a clear cut decision. It should have read: Because Mr Darrell Hair was found guilty, he is fired,'' the report added.

Meanwhile, reports say former captain Javed Miandad and former PCB officials have also hailed the ICC for sacking Hair, while current captain Inzamam-ul-Haq refused to comment on the matter.

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