Cricket: Hair voted 'umpire of the year'

Sacked International Cricket Council (ICC) umpire Darrell Hair has been voted umpire of the season by readers of The Wisden Cricketer magazine.

Hair received more than a third of all votes in the magazine's annual poll, a decision which appears to contradict the views of his employers at the ICC, who admit to having lost confidence in him.

One reader referred to him as the only one with courage and Hair also received votes in the performance of the season category with citations such as ensuring the umpires decision IS final and finally exposing the cheats.

"I suppose it is a bit of a shock," Hair told the magazine.

"But if free-thinking people want to vote that way and they do believe I've done the job as well as anybody or even better I can accept that fact it's a great vote of confidence.

- AAP