Hair appointed to CA umpiring panel

Controversial Test umpire Darrell Hair has been appointed to a new panel overseeing the performances of Australian umpires.

(AAP) - The appointment on Thursday comes after Hair last month returned to the international cricket arena after being banned from officiating for almost two years.

The 55-year-old was stood down following the infamous 2006 England-Pakistan Test at The Oval when Pakistan was adjudged to have forfeited the match after they tookumbrage at Hair's accusation of ball tampering.

He was reappointed to the International Cricket Council's elite panel this year but the ICC last week retrospectively deemed the result of the 2006 Test at The Oval tobe a draw.

Cricket Australia named Hair in the new four-man CA umpires high performance panel with fellow former umpires Ric Evans and Bob Stratford, and former AFL umpires coachDavid Levens.

The panel will take control of match review, selection, management and professionaldevelopment duties within domestic competitions.

"CA is committed to ensuring the highest standard of umpiring for CA competitions and to enhance and support the development of Australian umpires for internationalcricket," said CA chief executive James Sutherland.

"This new panel has a broad range of skills in elite officiating as well as umpire education and management, and will add an important new dimension to CA's development of umpires." The high performance Panel will start its role at the Emerging Players Tournamentstarting in Queensland on Monday.

Among the umpires appointed for the tournament is former Australian paceman PaulWilson, who played for both South Australia and Western Australia.