Bucknor Stands in 150th ODI
Today's ICC Champions Trophy clash between India and Australia in Mohali is a massive game for both sides as only one of them can progress to the semi-finals. But for one of the people at the centre of the action the match has a degree of personal significance, whatever the result.
For Jamaican umpire Steve Bucknor, it's his 150th ODI and he becomes only the third official in the history of the game to reach that milestone, following in the footsteps of David Shepherd and Rudi Koertzen.
The list for most appearances by an umpire in ODIs looks like this (up to/including Oct. 29, 2006):
172 ? David Shepherd
156 ? Rudi Koertzen
150* ? Steve Bucknor
126 ? Daryl Harper
124 ? Darrell Hair
107 ? David Orchard
100 ? Steve Dunne
Reflecting on his achievement, the 60-year-old Bucknor said: "I never thought I would get this far as, back when I started, there was the chance to stand in just a few matches every year.
"But now I can look back and think about the ICC Cricket World Cups and many other matches I have umpired and it makes me feel very proud."
In addition to umpiring in 150 ODIs, Bucknor has also stood in more Test matches ? 113 ? than anyone else, but cricket is not the only sport in which he officiated at the top level. He was also an international soccer referee, so was there ever a chance we could have seen him take charge of World Cup finals in cricket and football?
"Not really and I did not leave football for cricket," he said. "It was just that I got too old for football refereeing when FIFA lowered its retirement age from 50 to 45 so that gave me the chance to focus on cricket."
It all started for Bucknor the international cricket umpire back in March 1989 when he stood in his first ODI, the match between the West Indies and India in Antigua.
Bucknor quickly established his reputation as a high-class official and after being named as one of the umpires for the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup in Australasia he went on to stand in the final when Pakistan beat England to lift the trophy in Melbourne.
It was the first of four successive final appearances for Bucknor, a figure no other umpire can match.
"That first World Cup was a real highlight for me," he said. "I was only a relatively junior umpire back then and never thought I had a chance of standing in the final but I was chosen and have been fortunate enough to stand in every one since."
More than 14 years after that first final and Bucknor is still going strong. Now the senior figure on the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, he is recognized and respected around the world for his outstanding decision-making, something that is married with an air of calm. So, what is the secret of his longevity in the game?
"Hard work, physical fitness and being mentally prepared," he said. "The hard work comes from constantly reading up on the laws and the playing conditions so you always know what you are doing.
"The physical fitness is important too because if you are not right in that area then you will struggle to do the job. That fitness for me is all about maintaining a strong mid-section of the body, the abdominal and back muscles. Standing for seven or eight hours a day is hard work but if those muscles are right then you can do it.
And how have things changed for umpires during his time at the highest level?
"Technology has made a big difference. When I started there was barely any television coverage in some countries but now almost everyone has access to matches. That means there are many more living room umpires now who see the correct answer to an appeal after watching ten replays."
"Umpires, in contrast, get one look at each incident at normal speed so we can be proud that we get so many decisions right."
If Bucknor maintains the high standards he has always set for himself and his profession then he still has plenty of time left at the top level ? and, in the short term, there is next year's ICC Cricket World Cup in his backyard, the Caribbean.
"That is an exciting prospect," he said with a smile. "It would be nice to stand in final number five."