SYDNEY: Former Australian Test umpire Darrell Hair has admitted stealing cash from the liquor shop where he was working, in a dramatic fall from grace for a man who enjoyed a successful but controversial career in cricket.

The 65-year-old took Aus$9,005.75 (US$7,041) between Feb 25 and April 28 this year.

The Sydney Morning Herald said Hair had a gambling problem and that he was fired when his bosses found CCTV footage showing him with his hand in the till.

Hair, who stood in 78 Tests from 1992 to 2008, pleaded guilty to one charge of embezzlement and one of stealing on Monday, documents from the Orange Local Court showed.

“My client has been in the public eye for many years and this is a bit of a fall for him, to find himself before the court in these circumstances,” Hair’s solicitor Andrew Rolfe said, according to the Herald. “This is an aberration in the life of a man who, prior to this, had a lifetime of service to the community and to a sport that he loved.”

Magistrate Michael Allen did not record a conviction but sentenced Hair to an 18-month good behaviour bond, noting that he repaid the money.

Hair caused an international row in 1995 when he repeatedly no-balled Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing.

Hair was also one of the umpires in 2006 when Pakistan become the first side in history to forfeit a Test after being penalised five runs for alleged ball-tampering against England at The Oval.

Hair was removed from the Test panel in the wake of the incident but restored two years later after dropping a racial discrimination suit against the ICC.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2017