September 12, 2006	Tuesday	Sha'aban 18, 1427

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LONDON, Sept 11: Darrell Hair has spoken – and he says he is not a racist. If you have any doubt he will tell you that two of his best friends in the world of umpiring are Pakistanis Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf.

“It really upsets me when people describe me as racist,” Hair revealed exclusively in this week's Mail on Sunday, “because they have no idea how I spent my childhood and how that shaped my beliefs in adult life.

“How can people judge me to have prejudice when I went to school in Australia alongside Chinese children, Hungarian refugees and all manner of other nationalities?”

Well, in case you hadn't noticed Darrell, some of the most viscous racists have grown up alongside people of different nationalities.

He goes on: “I grew up in Orange, in Central New South Wales, living next door to a large family of Aborigines. I had some of my happiest times playing rugby and cricket with the children. They were like brothers and sisters to me.”

Hair then evokes the ‘I can't be racist because my friends are black and Asian’ defence that has become ridiculed as the lamest, most irrelevant argument that anybody accused of racism can use.

This is Hair's version: “It’s particularly hurtful when I count as some of my closest friends the Pakistan umpires Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf, and the Sri Lankans Asoka de Silva and Peter Manuel. We are men from different cultures drawn together by the game of cricket. We exchange views and I have always found men of that caliber tremendously supportive.”

Messrs Aleem, Asad, de Silva, and Manuel might want to consider suing for defamation. Indeed, the ICC might want to take a close look at the interview since it is so concerned that none of the protagonists should comment in advance of the hearings.

Now that Inzamam-ul-Haq has been warned will Hair be warned too by Malcolm Speed?

Speed, though, seems to believe that the rules apply to everyone but him, and perhaps he extends that leniency to all Australians? His suggestion that Mike Procter should have dealt with The Oval impasse more vigorously has surprised everyone including Procter, particularly as Speed failed alongside Procter to dissuade Hair from his mission.

Hair says he has suffered sleepless nights since the controversy broke, fears for the welfare of his 85-year-old sick mother, worries about how ‘ill-informed comments’ have upset his wife Amanda, and welcomes ‘hundreds of letters of support’ he has received.

Hair has plenty else to say in his interview. Most of which is designed to paint him as the principled victim in this saga.

Hair on Pakistan: “Pakistan is particularly receptive to a visiting umpire like myself. Their idea of a venue for a chat about umpiring is one of their wonderful restaurants. They are very hospitable people and the discussion goes on all night.”

Hair on money: “Money has never been a driving force in my career as an umpire. No umpire I know does it for money. I can honestly say I am earning less than half I could have commanded in salary had I stayed in the private sector as sales manager of a clothing manufacturer in Melbourne.”

Hair on captains: “Cricket places the onus on captains for them to ensure that the game is played fairly within the spirit of cricket. Umpires intervene only when they decide the game is not being played within the spirit of the game.”

Hair on umpires: “All good umpires will have a quiet word rather than jump in. I prefer the principle of non-intervention. That is the preferable route compared with someone making a song and dance about something that could be resolved quietly.”

Shame, then, that Hair didn't practice what he preaches. Perhaps this non-interventionist Hair is the one we will see in future?

“My wish is to carry on and enjoy the rest of my career as an umpire. That is what I would like to do. My contract runs to April 2008. After that, who knows? How I am involved in cricket after that date is in the mixing bowl.”