KARACHI, Feb 7: Australian umpire Darrell Hair has issued notice of legal action against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), accusing them of racial discrimination.

Hair was sacked from the International Cricket Council's (ICC) elite panel of umpires after the Pakistan ball-tampering row last year.

“Our legal advisor in London got a legal notice from Hair's lawyer and it has already been replied to,” Saleem Altaf, the PCB's director of cricket operations said.

“Hair apparently has grievances against us and has accused us of racial discrimination from what I have been told,” he said.

Pakistan complained to the ICC about Hair's role in the forfeited Oval test against England last August.

Pakistan refused to continue the match after Hair and fellow umpire Billy Doctrove changed the ball and charged the Pakistanis with ball-tampering on the fourth day.

Hair and West Indian Doctrove eventually awarded the match to England and the ICC charged Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq with bringing the game into disrepute.

In September, the ICC cleared Inzamam and his team of ball tampering but banned the captain for four games on the disrepute charge.

“We have given a stiff response to Hair's notice as our stand is clear – the International Cricket Council took action against him and not the PCB,” Saleem said.

“Our lawyer has sent back a strong response to the notice and we don't accept his stand. He was penalised by the ICC members and not just Pakistan.”

Another PCB official said Hair's legal notice had accused the PCB of pushing the ICC to undertake illegal and discriminatory actions against him.

“Hair's claims against us at this stage are strange because everyone knows the ICC took action against him and he was contracted to them not us,” the official said.

Doctrove is back supervising international matches while the ICC has appointed Hair to stand in an ICC qualifying tournament in Nairobi. He was supervising the World Cricket League final between Kenya and Scotland in Nairobi on Wednesday.—Reuters