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Pakistan would accept an International Cricket Council (ICC) decision allowing controversial Australian umpire Darrel Hair to stand again in international matches, Chairman PCB Shaharyar Khan said on Sunday.

The ICC removed Hair from this month’s Champions Trophy in India after his central role in the ball-tampering row that marred Pakistan’s recent tour of England. The PCB have asked the ICC to omit Hair from any future games involving Pakistan.

Asked in a radio interview if he would like to see Hair retained in international cricket, Shaharyar said: “We would not oppose that ourselves. I wouldn’t say that I am happy to see him (do so) but I would say that I have no objection to him umpiring matches that the ICC feels that he is secure. That is something to be decided later,” Shaharyar told the BBC.

The ICC said it removed Hair, now a hate figure in parts of Asia, from the Champions Trophy for “safety and security” reasons.

Pakistan were incensed by Hair’s ruling that their team had tampered with the ball during the fourth Test in August at The Oval, a decision that led to an unprecedented forfeiture of the match. Inzamam-ul-Haq was cleared of ball tampering by the ICC on Thursday but banned for four ODIs for bringing the game into disrepute.

Inzamam was deemed to have acted improperly by refusing to take his team on to the field after the tea interval on the fourth day in protest at the decision by umpires Hair and Billy Doctrove to change the ball and penalise Pakistan five runs.
Source:The News