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Dubai: The Sydney Test match will be long remembered for the blunders of the two umpires.
They virtually destroyed India's best chance to equal the series or at least ensure a draw.
Steve Bucknor once again proved to be the most inconsistent umpire in the world today.
The Test match turned out to be a nightmare for the players when his partner Mark Benson too opted to maintain Bucknor's standard.
When Bucknor officiated in his 100th Test match in Kolkata, it was one of those rare sights when an umpire was booed off the field after a series of blunders.
Everyone expected the International Cricket Council (ICC) to give him a golden handshake at the end of the season.
No stamina
Bucknor is 61 years old and ICC still considers him the best despite his terrible reputation. In this Test match he surely proved that he is unable to hear as well as see clearly. And yes, he surely has broken many records. Bucknor erased umpire Dickie Bird's record for most Test matches in 2002 and in March 2005 he became the first umpire to stand in 100 Tests. But to compare him to Bird should be the last thing an ardent cricket lover should ever do.
It is very clear that Bucknor does not have the stamina to travel and officiate in so many matches. His interpretation of the rules of the game has shocked many but strangely the ICC seems to have never questioned his judgment. It was his interpretation of the rules regarding bad light which ended the World Cup final in a disaster. Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive had to apologise for the blunder.
Bucknor is terribly out of form and like batsmen who are dropped for bad form, the ICC too should consider resting him for the next Test match. Unfortunately, Bucknor is not scheduled to retire till 2011.
Bucknor's characterstic raising of the dreaded finger has won him the sobriquet "Slow Death Bucknor". Should he continue till 2011, he would the most dreaded man on the field and may ensure a slow death to the excitement of the game, too.
"The ICC still considers him to be the best despite his terriblereputation. In this Test match he proved he is unable to hear as well as see..."
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