Asia Inc. pluck out Hair from ICC

By John Cheeran
Yes, this is the beginning of the bid to take over the ICC, spearheaded by India and supported by Asian teams.
ICC's abrasive Australian CEO Malcolm Speed had repeatedly said during his verbal jousts with the BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi that Modi had never attended an ICC meting and does not know how the global body functions.
The arrogance Speed brought to his press conference in Jaipur when he spoke about ICC as having more than 150 member nations, has been dealt a severe blow by the decision to throw out Australian umpire Darrell Hair of the elite panel.
The ICC executive board has decided to remove Hair from the panel of elite umpires.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh tabled a motion at the meeting that Hair be taken off the panel. The motion was put to vote and was passed by a 7-3 majority.
Not only the four Asian nations, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies voted against Hair. England, Australia and New Zealand wanted him to continue.
I should, however, add that Hair was a no-nonsense umpire and liked much of his judgements be it against Muttiah Muralitharan or Inzamam-ul Haq.
In each case, Hair had his point.
A game cannot be run by sentiments and brute majorities but by sound sense.
Asian nations' brotherhood should ensure that they brook no arrogance from the White trio -- England, Australia and New Zealand -- but keep cricket as clean and professional as possible.