Umpire Steve Bucknor Says No Excuses for Wrong Decisions in 2008 Sydney Test

Steve Bucknor is one of the most respected umpires in the world, one who officiated in five consecutive World Cup finals. Yet every India fan remembers him for infamous Sydney Test between India and Australia, where his decisions gave the hosts, an upper hand. These mistakes still haunt the legendary umpire.

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"I made two mistakes in the Sydney Test in 2008. Mistake one, which happened when India were doing well, allowed an Australian batsman to get a hundred. Mistake two, on Day Five, might have cost India the game. But still, they are two mistakes over five days. Was I the first umpire to make two mistakes in a Test? Still, those two mistakes seem to have haunted me," he told Mid day.

He was referring to Andrew Symonds, who was out caught behind at 30, but Bucknor had overruled the decision. The batsman went on to make 162.

"You need to know why mistakes are made. You don't want to make similar mistakes again. I am not giving excuses but there are times when the wind is blowing down the pitch and the sound travels with the wind. The commentators hear the nick from the stump mic but the umpires may not be sure. These are things spectators won't know."

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Then he goes on to talk about the 1992 World Cup, which he terms his high point.

"I stood in only four Tests and three ODIs before that. And I was the only umpire from the Caribbean at that World Cup. So I didn't know if I was good enough to be there. During the tournament, I was told I was doing very well.

"The captains had good things to say. My aim was to be among the six umpires for the semi-finals. I would have been happy to even be a reserve umpire. I stood in the New Zealand versus Pakistan semi-final in Auckland. And after the match I was told, 'Bucknor, you're doing the final.'"