Dubai: Australian Darrell Hair was cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday to return as a test and one-day international umpire with immediate effect.
"I can confirm the ICC board has decided to bring him (Hair) back to test and one-day international level," an ICC spokesman told Reuters.
Hair, 55, was sacked from the ICC's elite panel of umpires in November 2006 for his role in the Oval test in August that year when Pakistan became the first team to forfeit a test.
Pakistan blamed Hair for the fiasco that occurred when they refused to return to the field in protest after being penalised for alleged ball-tampering and England being awarded five extra runs.
A chain of events followed and the ICC said they had "lost confidence" in Hair while barring him from standing in tests and one-dayers.
An ICC code of conduct hearing then cleared Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq of ball-tampering although he was banned for four matches for bringing the game into disrepute.
Hair filed a lawsuit against the ICC in February last year but the case collapsed at an employment tribunal in London. He subsequently underwent a rehabilitation programme devised by the ICC and has officiated in lesser matches.
"Darrell Hair is a good, competent umpire and his position will be reviewed after March 31, 2009 as is the case with other umpires at the end of their contracts," ICC president-elect David Morgan told reporters after Tuesday's meeting of the executive board. "It (Hair's reinstatement) was a unanimous decision."
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