Hair admits his life has been 'hell'

Darrell Hair: 'If you've got the courage of your convictions you have to make those decisions and I make no apologies' © Getty Images

Darrell Hair has said that his life has been "hell" since the Oval Test of August 2006.

Speaking on the eve of an employment tribunal in which he will claim racial discrimination by the ICC, Hair told the BBC: "My life has been turned upside down, but I make no apologies.

"Umpires make mistakes but they make honest decisions and make those for the good of the game. I didn't forfeit the Test match. The laws provide for things under certain circumstances and I think it was pretty clear that one team was refusing to play. But if you've got the courage of your convictions you have to make those decisions and I make no apologies.

"But for an umpire to actually go into hiding for various reasons, one of them for security issues, after making a decision on the field is hard to take," he said. "What's become of the game when you can't make a decision without being able to go out at night? It's been pretty much hell, there's no doubt about that."