Firing line nothing new for Emerson

ADELAIDE, Jan 26 (Reuters): Ross Emerson, the Australian umpire at the centre of cricket's latest throwing controversy, is a man used to being in the firing line.

Emerson is at the centre of a crisis after no-balling Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing during a limited-overs match between England and Australia.

Emerson's decision to call Muralitharan in the triangular series game at Adelaide Oval on Saturday prompted Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga to lead his players to the boundary in protest, stopping the match for 12 minutes.

A hearing into allegations of misconduct by Ranatunga was opened and adjourned on Tuesday to a date to be fixed.

It remains to be seen whether Emerson's decision to no-ball Muralitharan will affect his umpiring career.

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Tuesday that he had been stood down from Friday's match between England and Sri Lanka in Perth.

The ACB said their decision had nothing to do with the Muralitharan incident but was made after the board discovered that Emerson had been umpiring while on stress leave from his regular job.

Emerson refused to comment on the matter when asked about it on Tuesday but is unlikely to take a backward step.

A former fast bowler in the Sydney first-grade district competition, Emerson has never shirked his responsibilities.

After joining the New South Wales police force, Emerson quickly progressed through the ranks. Considered an honest policeman, he was eventually appointed to investigate corrupt officers in his own workplace.

It was a job he took on with gusto but one which ultimately cost him his career when death threats forced him to leave Sydney and resign from the police force.

Emerson had started his umpiring career in Sydney after a broken ankle kept him off the field but proved such a success officiating that he decided to stop playing and concentrate on his new vocation.

He began his first-class umpiring career in 1982-83 when he was appointed to his first Sheffield Shield match before graduating to the national panel.

Now 44, Emerson is Australia's most experienced first-class umpire although he is yet to officiate in a Test.

Emerson made headlines during Sri Lanka's last tour of Australia in 1995-96 when he was one of three umpires to call Muralitharan for throwing.

There was speculation Emerson would call Muralitharan again this season after Darrell Hair, Australia's most senior umpire who had also no-balled the spinner, stood down from matches involving Sri Lanka.