Wisden overview
A great big bear of a man, Darrell Hair was the first big-name umpiring casualty when the inaugural elite panel was announced in 2002. Hair, who had been on the original international panel since its inception in 1997, had ruffled too many subcontinental feathers - first by calling Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in a Test, then by claiming in his autobiography that Murali's action was "diabolical". When the elite eight were revealed, Daryl Harper was the Australian representative, even though by then Hair had umpired in an Australian-record 44 Tests, as well as 75 ODIs. Sri Lankans apart, Hair was generally popular with the players, and continues to stand at home. He began umpiring in first-class cricket in 1988-89, and reached the Test arena three years later. In his youth Hair was a handy fast bowler, playing for North Sydney and Mosman in the tough Sydney grade competition.

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