Australian umpire Daryl Harper announced on Wednesday he was retiring with immediate effect as an international umpire despite being due to bring down the curtain on his career in the third and final Test of the current West Indies v India series. The 59-year-old - who has stood in 95 Tests and 279 international matches in all - took the decision after he came in for heavy criticism from the Indians following the first Test - a match they won - and which many thought was unjustified.
"In the wake of some unfair criticism, Daryl has informed us that he does not wish to stand in what would have been his final Test," said International Cricket Council general manager David Richardson. "The reality of the situation is that Daryl's statistics show his correct decision percentage in Tests involving India is 96 per cent, which is considerably higher than the international average for top-level umpires. "We have every faith in Daryl to finish the series and while we regret his decision we do respect it.
"The real shame is it deprives him of the opportunity to sign off as a Test match umpire in a manner befitting someone who has served the game so well since making his international debut back in 1994," he added. Harper has been replaced for the third Test - which is due to start in Dominica on July 6 - by Englishman Richard Kettleborough.
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