Ranatunga bats for old enemy' Darrel Hair

Colombo, Mar.23 : Sri Lankan Cricket Board chairman Arjuna Ranatunga has said that controversial Australian umpire Darrell Hair should be allowed to umpire all international matches.

"At the ICC meeting (in Dubai this week) we mentioned our concerns about the Darrell Hair issue. But the important factor is if he is eligible to umpire I think he should do all matches featuring India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, otherwise he won't be tested," the Courier Mail quoted Ranatunga, as saying.

Hair was reinstated as a Test and one-day umpire by the International Cricket Council (ICC) this week.The 55-year-old had been dropped from the ICC's elite umpires' panel for his role in the Oval Test between England and Pakistan in August 2006, which resulted in Pakistan being asked to forfeit it over ball tampering charges.

Pakistan became the first team to forfeit a Test when players refused to return to the field after tea on the fourth day of the fourth Test at The Oval because they had been penalised five runs for alleged ball tampering.

Hair was also the umpire who called record-breaking Sri Lankan off-spinner Muthiah Murlitharan, for chucking twice during tours to Australia.

ANI