Australian umpires attack Speed and ICC
The New South Wales Umpires and Scorers Association (NSWCUSA) have launched a stinging attack on the ICC in a full-page advertisement in Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
Cricinfo staff
17-Nov-2006
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The advertisement is in support of Darrell Hair, the man at the centre of the storm during the Oval Test in August. In it, the NSWCUSA pulls no punches in slamming Malcolm Speed, the ICC's Australian chief executive.
The advertisement, which takes the form of an open letter to Speed, makes clear that in the association's view, the sacking was legally suspect. It points out that only recently the ICC praised Hair, and asks Percy Sonn, the ICC's president, to explain how Billy Doctrove, the other umpire who stood at The Oval, got off unscathed.
The letter states that the decision "can only be interpreted as a need to appease the Pakistan Cricket Board and the ACC [Asian Cricket Council] led majority on the ICC board who have been noisily critical of Hair for some time".
Referring to the ICC's own website, the letter notes that it dwells at length on subjects such as natural justice and asks: "One wonders if you took time out to reflect upon that very statement before you unceremoniously dumped the fourth most capped umpire in Test cricket."
The letter concludes by pointing out that it is volunteer organisations, such as the NSWCUSA, which recruits, trains and develops umpires while the ICC "like most associations, does nothing." It also warns ICC Elite panel sponsors - such as Sony TV, Emirates, Getty Images, Hyundai "could well be boycotted. The letter signs off: "You and your ICC should all be ashamed of how this has played out".
Hair is a past president of the NSWCUSA.
Opinions of Hair and his sacking remain divided. His dismissal on November 4 was praised by leading figures in Asia - particularly, and perhaps understandably so, in Pakistan - while others, including Australia's Ricky Ponting, were disappointed. To confuse matters further, a leaked report from the ICC revealed Hair was ranked the second best umpire in the world mere days before the Oval Test. This week, he was also voted Umpire of the Year by readers in the December edition of The Wisden Cricketer.
In an email obtained by Cricinfo, NSWCUSA said "It probably won't have much effect, but at least we have a cricketing organisation that is prepared to publicly speak out against the politics affecting international cricket."
An ICC spokesman declined to comment when contacted by Cricinfo.