Thursday, August 24 2006 10:52 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: The International Cricket Council has rejected Pakistan's demand to bar umpire Darrell Hair from officiating in matches involving their team and says it would not entertain any interference in the appointment of umpires from member countries.

Toughening its stand against Pakistan following the sensational ball-tampering row, the ICC also comes out in support of the two on-field umpires, saying their decision to award the match to England was a 'correct one'.

"It is not the role of the ICC to overturn the decisions of on-field umpires, the people who are enshrined in the Laws of Cricket as the sole judges of fair and unfair play, the ultimate arbiters of the game," ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed says in a statement.

"In this instance the decision made by Billy Doctrove and Darrell Hair to award the match to England was the correct one under the Laws." The fourth Test between the two teams took an ugly turn after Pakistan refused to take the field in the post tea session on the fourth day after Hair awarded five penalty runs to England for alleged ball-tampering. The match was later deemed to be forfeited by the umpires and awarded to England.

"It is hugely regrettable that the match did not end with a great finish in front of a full house. That is something that would have acted as an appropriate conclusion to a series full of exciting and absorbing cricket," he says.