ICC hunting the Hair and running from the (News) Hounds

Callistus Davy reporting
from Mumbai

Cricket heavyweights running the International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday chickened out in public after sacking umpire Darrel Hair declaring that what they had done was best left behind closed doors.

President of the International Cricket Council Percy Sonn, a South African, and chief executive officer Malcolm Speed would not say why Hair was sacked, how many board members were for or against his removal or whether the umpire's demand for a hefty payment to leave the international panel had been the resaons for the termination of his services.

An agitated Sonn, who has gained a reputation for side-stepping questions at media conferences with replies that are sometimes comical and irrelavent, told a heavily attended media gathering here in Mumbai yesterday that neither he nor a visibly embarrassed Speed would answer deep-rooted questions concerning Hair.

"I don't get many opportunities to tell Malcolm Speed to shut up in public and now I will tell him here to shut up and not answer your questions", said Sonn.

Speed only revealed that Hair was disappointed over his removal and preferred to then pass the buck to the members of the board.

"It's not appropriate to discuss in the open what takes place at a meeting. There'll be a lot of bidders for the sale of television rights for these board meetings but yes we will answer no questions on the issue", said Speed.