‘Allowed an Australian batsman to get a hundred’ – Steve Bucknor on the mistakes he made in the 2008 Sydney Test against India

The 2008 Sydney Test between India and Australia was less about cricket and more about controversies and poor umpiring. In the very game, Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh were involved in the infamous ‘Monkeygate’ scandal that lead to uproar in both the camps. Former umpire Steve Bucknor also came under the scanner for his indifferent umpiring.

12 years after the match, which the Aussies won by 122 runs, Bucknor admitted that his mistakes helped the hosts emerge triumphant at the Sydney Cricket Ground. To start with, he said that Andrew Symonds was given a life in the first innings when Australia were tottering at 135 for six.

The Queenslander was batting on 30 when Ishant Sharma found his inside edge, but Bucknor didn’t raise his finger. Symonds went on to score an unbeaten 162 and the home team amassed 463.

You need to know why mistakes are made, says Steve Bucknor

“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,” Bucknor was quoted as saying on mid-day.

As his second error in judgement, Bucknor said that he wrongly gave Rahul Dravid out in the second innings. Dravid was batting on 38 and was dismissed by Symonds. The decision came when India were making a comeback courtesy a 61-run stand between Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. The decision turned out to be a crucial one as India lost their last seven wickets for 95 runs.

“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 stated.

“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,” he added.