For a country to object to the appointment of an umpire before a game is played cannot be considered umpire-fixing and does not in any way reflect the obnoxious views of the country concerned. By chance, if the host country has not done so and the victimised nation objects and can show sufficient reason for their stand, then the wishes of the touring country would be respected. However, all these matters are done without undue publicity to prevent any embarrassment to all parties concerned. Unfortunately, an administrative error was made in our original umpire list and this has now been rectified. In fact, Hair has also been removed from matches involving Zimbabwe having called left-arm spinner Andy Flower as well during their recent Test against New Zealand in Bulawayo.
Teams protesting about the appointment of umpires are nothing new.
I had no alternative but to object, and ask for two senior umpires to be flown from either Jamaica or Barbados Closer home, during the second Test of the 1979-80 tour of New Zealand by the West Indies, the tourists refused to take the field after tea on the third day at Lancaster Park as a mark of protest and requested umpire Fred Goodall to be changed immediately. Although their request could not, obviously, have been granted the West Indians did return to the field 12 minutes late Goodall did not officiate in the third Test. As mentioned earlier, these changes are made without a public hue and cry. Moving its operations to Australia would be a useful initiative. Most of the reforms for the good of the game over the past 100 years have come from Australia.