WORLD cricket's top official wanted to save Darrell Hair but was dramatically short-circuited by his own board.
International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed strongly lobbied for Hair to remain on the elite umpires panel in Friday's board meeting in Mumbai, but was howled down by the board members.
Speed does not have a vote on the 10-member executive board, which voted 7-3 to sack Hair after heavy pressure from the powerful Asian bloc countries after his decision to charge Pakistan with ball tampering during the fourth Test against England at The Oval and subsequently rule the Test a forfeit when it failed to appear after tea on the fourth day.
The ICC's cricket operations boss Dave Richardson was another top official who fervently supported Hair but his opinion also meant nothing to the board.
The four subcontinent nations - India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh - all voted to axe Hair.
When they gained a majority vote with support from South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe, Speed was powerless to stop Hair's head from rolling.
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Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he was surprised by the decision and Hair also found an unlikely supporter in former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif.
"Hair has suffered enough so I thought he would be forgiven because (Pakistan captain) Inzamam had forgiven him," Latif said.
"I think Hair had stigmatised his reputation by demanding compensation and it spoiled his case," said Latif, referring to Hair's leaked email to an ICC official demanding $500,000 for an early retirement soon after the Oval incident.
Former Pakistan captain, Javed Miandad, was less charitable.
"The game has held up Pakistan's esteem and its own esteem by making this decision," Miandad said.
Inzamam had little to say about the verdict. "I had already forgiven Hair and since it is an ICC matter I would rather not comment any further," he said.
Hair, originally from Mudgee in New South Wales, was at the centre of controversy in August when he accused Pakistan bowlers of ball tampering.
Pakistan refused to take the field after tea on the fourth day in protest, forcing Hair and colleague Billy Doctrove of West Indies to award the match to England.
An ICC inquiry conducted by chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle of Sri Lanka cleared Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq of ball tampering, placing Hair's career in limbo.
Hair's reputation was damaged when the ICC revealed he had asked for $US500,000 ($646,000) in return for quitting the panel.
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