Saturday, August 26 2006 13:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: In a new twist to his bitter spat with the Pakistan cricket team, controversial umpire Darrell Hair has offered to quit his job if he is given a whopping USD 500,000 (approx Rs 2.33 crore) as compensation but the ICC has not indicated its stand in this regard.

Hair, whose charge of ball tampering against Pakistan led to their staying out and forfeiting the fourth and final Test against England, makes the startling offer in a letter to the ICC, the game's governing body says Friday (25 Aug, 2006).

ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed tells a press conference that Hair has offered to resign on August 22 and his letter has been forwarded to Doug Cowie, the ICC's umpire's manager.

In his letter, Hair asks for "a one-off payment to compensate for the loss of future earnings and retainer payments over the next four years, which I believe would have been the best years I have to offer ICC and world umpiring." Speed says he is surprised by Hair's letter and has consulted three lawyers independently before revealing the contents of the letter.

The ICC CEO says that Hair did not have any malicious intent during the ball tampering episode.

"I am confident, as is David Richardson (the ICC's General Manager- cricket), who has been intimately involved in these matters, that Darrell had no dishonest, underhand or malicious intent. He was seeking to find a solution that was in the interests of the game."