5 March 2011 04:56 am
In a shock development before Sri Lanka's World Cup clash with Australia tonight, Hair - who first called Muralidaran for throwing in 1995 - said some of cricket's leading umpires have privately rebuked the spin legend's controversial action.
Former ICC panellist Hair also said Muralidaran continued to chuck and did so several times in Sri Lanka's 11-run loss to Pakistan last Saturday.
Despite being called for throwing by Hair and Ross Emerson, Muralidaran was able to resurrect his career and is embarking on his international swansong at the World Cup after a 19-year career.
But before Muralidaran's showdown with the Aussies at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Hair said he and Emerson were not the only umpires who believed the spinner's action was still flawed.
"A couple of current umpires have said to me, 'Something is wrong', but they prefer to let it go," said Hair, who quit the ICC's elite panel in 2008.
"There is still a lot of doubt about his deliveries.
"A few have told me, 'There is definitely something wrong with his action, but I'm not going to call him'.
"They are the ones who have to live with that.
"If you're an umpire you're meant to uphold the law so both teams get a fair shake.
"There's been some umpires who think, 'I'm on a good wicket here, I'm making good money, I won't rock the boat'.
"It's not my style, it's obviously theirs."
The 38-year-old has more than once been cleared by the ICC, which ordered Muralidaran undergo biomechanical testing, but his action has constantly polarised opinion.
Umpire Darrell Hair speaks to Sri Lankan spinner Muthiah Muralidaran about no-balling him for "chucking" against Australia in 1995.
Source: Herald Sun
"I watched a few of his deliveries in his game against Pakistan and I noticed the last few overs when he was really getting some turn on the ball, those wouldn't have complied under scrutiny," Hair said.
"But this is his last World Cup, he's going to bow out with a lot of fanfare and no umpire will be bothered by it."
Hair claimed the ICC repeatedly turned a blind eye to his doubts about Muralidaran.
"Each time I wrote a list of concerns and put them in a report, but the report system wasn't working," he said.
"The only way it would have worked was if the Sri Lanka board listened to it and quite patently they didn't want to.
"Back in 1995, I have no doubt he threw a hell of a lot of balls. He had his action reviewed, but then he started bowling the doosra and there's no one in the world who can bowl that legally."
(Herald Sun)