Sydney: Mired in controversy, beleaguered umpire Darrell Hair is believed to have taken shelter in a country hideaway in northern England to avoid media gaze.
The Aussie umpire was in the eye of a storm when he held Pakistan guilty of ball tampering while officiating the Oval Test against England. Pakistan refused to take the field of play after tea on the fourth day and were then ruled to have forfeited the match.
Later the cricketing world was shocked when ICC revealed that Hair demanded half a million dollar payout to retire from international cricket.
According to The Australian, media pressure has since made Hair a target around the clock.
He decided to leave his house in Lincoln and stay at a private residence in northern England after being harassed by newspaper journalists when he returned from the Test.
Hair even went so far as to phone local police and have them investigate whether the harassment from the media throng was a breach of the law.
In a statement released on Monday from his secret hideaway, Hair sensationally revealed that the $500,000 offer to retire was at the urging of the International Cricket Council after his discussions with officials.
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