London: Under-fire Australian umpire Darrell Hair is not unduly bothered by the strong criticism against him in the wake of the ball-tampering controversy, saying a lot of people will pay the price when he comes out with his version of the row.

Expressing his anguish that he was not treated well in his adopted country (England) following Sunday’s unpleasant episode, Hair said he would reveal his side of the story only after the issue came to an end.

“I’ll be putting a lot to my side when this is all over. I have been vilified by virtually everybody here and when the truth comes out a lot of people will pay. So, that’s all I can say,” Hair was quoted as saying by a newspaper.

The 53-year-old Lincolnshire-based umpire said that people who wanted him out of the ICC Elite Panel umpires would have do something special to achieve their aim.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has dismissed ICC’s refusal to bar Hair from officiating in matches involving them as a “knee-jerk” reaction.

“To say that no country can dictate who is going to be an umpire is an obvious knee-jerk reaction.” (PTI)