Dhoni tried to intimidate me, says umpire Harper

Retired umpire Daryl Harper has accused the International Cricket Council of "selective management" for failing to discipline India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for criticizing his decisions.

Harper told the cricinfo website on Thursday he felt targeted by India in last month's first test against West Indies, which led to his withdrawal from the third test in Dominica and premature retirement after 95 tests.

In his post-match interview, Dhoni blamed allegedly incorrect decisions by Harper for prolonging the Jamaica test, which India won inside four days. Dhoni said "if the correct decisions were made... I would have been in the hotel by now."

Harper said the comments were inappropriate and Dhoni should have been sanctioned. But while ICC general manager of cricket David Richardson described Dhoni's criticism as "unfair," neither he nor match referee Jeff Crowe cited the captain.

"Only one decision in the match would have been reversed had it been a (Decision Review System) situation," Harper said. "And I read yesterday that I made nine mistakes in the game, so yes I thought it was time someone spoke up because unfortunately the ICC choose not to."

Harper said Dhoni also told him on the field that "we've had problems with you before, Daryl." Harper said he took that as an attempt to intimidate, but because he wasn't, Dhoni came at him after the test.

In the meantime, Harper, no stranger to controversy, said he didn't become aware of heavy criticism of him in the Indian media until five days later. The Australian suggested that could have cooled down earlier if the ICC had intervened.

"As far as I was concerned it was up to the controlling body to look after that aspect and I don't believe that was happening in any way," he said.

He was scheduled to retire after last week's Dominica test, but withdrew from the match because of India's criticism out of fear that he would be the focus of the test.

Harper appreciated Richardson's comments in a statement on the withdrawal that Harper's correct decision percentage in tests involving India was 96 percent, which was higher than the international average. But Harper said that if that support had been offered soon after the first test, then he would have officiated in Dominica.

In the end, he was disappointed by the ICC's failure to back him up.

"I'm disappointed for the game of cricket that management has allowed this to happen. I think there was basically a hive of inactivity in Dubai," he said. "I think it would have been very simple to apply the code of conduct that umpires have to apply on the spur of the moment in every game they umpire.

"It's a wonderful game and I don't want to see it going down the tube by selective management. And I am also concerned about the lowering of standards of behaviour. I've never been willing to say 'it's just a sign of the times.' Cricket has survived too long to give in to that sort of behaviour and accept it as part and parcel of the 21st century."