London: Australian umpire Darrell Hair will sue the ICC and the PCB for “racial discrimination” in barring him from officiating at the highest level, a news channel said on Wednesday.

A report on the channel’s website said that “Hair felt he was made a scapegoat” when the ICC decided he would not be made to stand in international matches featuring Test nations after the forfeited Oval Test between England and Pakistan in August.

Hair took objection to the ICC singling him out while West Indian Billy Doctrove, the other umpire on duty, had been allowed to continue. He said the PCB had influenced the ICC in getting him banned from elite assignments, according to the website.

PCB chairman Dr. Nasim Ashraf, however, rubbished Hair’s charge. “This is adding insult to injury. Race has nothing to do with this,” he was quoted as saying. “Hair was removed from the Elite Panel of Umpires by the Full ICC Board, which has many countries, because of his poor judgement.

“This is the most preposterous thing I have heard. This is another manifestation of Hair’s mental status. It is crass for him to say a black West Indian was let off [whereas] he was a white man and therefore he was charged.” (PTI)