Former Test umpire Darrell Hair found guilty of stealing

Former Australian Test umpire Darrell Hair, who has been a controversial figure in cricket, has admitted to stealing cash from the liquor shop where he was working. The 65-year-old, who caused a storm when he no-balled Sri Lanka star Muttiah Muralitharan for an illegal bowling action in 1995, took Australian $9,005.75 (US$7,041) between February 25 and April 28 this year.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Hair had a gambling problem and that he was fired when his bosses found CCTV footage showing him with his hand in the till. Hair, who stood in 78 Tests from 1992 to 2008, pleaded guilty to one charge of embezzlement and one of stealing documents from the Orange Local Court.

“My client has been in the public eye for many years and this is a bit of a fall for him, to find himself before the court in these circumstances,” Hair’s solicitor Andrew Rolfe said, according to AFP.

“This is an aberration in the life of a man who, prior to this, had a lifetime of service to the community and to a sport that he loved.”

Hair avoided conviction after paying back the money and being handed over an 18-month good behavior bond by Magistrate Michael Allen.

A controversial past

Hair caused an international row in 1995 when he repeatedly no-balled Muralitharan for throwing, which is illegal for cricket bowlers. He later said many match officials shared the same doubts but they were scared to intervene.

Muralitharan, the world-record Test and one-day wicket-taker, was cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after undergoing biomechanical tests on his bowling action, but the debate polarised opinion for years to come.

Apart from the Muralitharan row, Hair was one of the umpires who sanctioned Pakistan for ball tampering in the fourth test against England at the Oval in 2006, leading to the tourists refusing to play and the match being awarded to the hosts.

Hair was removed from the test panel in the wake of the incident but restored two years later after dropping a racial discrimination suit against the International Cricket Council.