KEY POINTS:
Controversial Australian umpire Darrell Hair has offered his condolences to sacked official Steve Bucknor and called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to embrace a referral system to relieve pressure on the game's decision-makers.
Bucknor was backed, then sacked, for the Perth test between Australia and India by the ICC in the wake of a controversial Sydney test marked by several incorrect decisions.
"I feel for Steve," Hair told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"In a way, it's probably the best for him to stand down and relieve the pressure a little bit."
Should Bucknor be removed from the elite panel, Hair could fill the breach. It would be his first time officiating a test match since he judged that Pakistan had tampered with the ball in a test against England in 2006. The game was later forfeited when Pakistan refused to return to the field in protest.
Given the apparent shortage of quality umpires and Hair's ranking as No 2 in the world at the time of his demotion, the ICC might turn to the Australian in a bid to improve the standard of officiating at the elite level.
"The desire to come back is strong," Hair said.
"I am still working with the ICC at the associate level and I will be working as an umpiring assessor at the youth World Cup, but I would love to make it back to the top level again."
Hair was adamant the ICC should use the lessons from the second test in Sydney to investigate ways to relieve the pressure on umpires.
He supported a referral system, in which teams are allowed to challenge three umpiring decisions per innings.
"There were a few unfortunate decisions made, and I know for a fact that the people involved would not have enjoyed making such errors," Hair said.
"But the fact is those mistakes have been made, and rather than dwell on the negative, there is an opportunity to assess the situation and find the best ways forward.
"A couple of years ago, I would have been against a challenge system, but the more I look at it, I think it has merit. It works well in American football, and it could save time if it is used in place of other replays. A look at ways to improve the training of umpires at the top level could also help improve standards over all."
The referral system is set to be trialled in New Zealand during the domestic one-day final in early March.
- NZPA
