Ranking 5 worst umpires in cricket history

3. Kumar Dharmasena

Kumar Dharmasena. “Dharmasena Review System” – This is how former Indian cricketer-turned commentator asked the on-field umpire Anil Choudhary to stay with his decision despite it being very clear that the decision given by the on-field umpire had to be reversed during an India-England game in 2017.

He almost made another blunder on the second day of the Mohali Test of the 2016-17 series between India and England when despite conforming on the big screen that the ball hadn’t hit Parthiv’s bat, he proceeded to say “You can stay with your original decision,” he continued, much to the disbelief of all the fans, who were watching the match on TV.

Dharamsena’s penchant for blunders remains the same both on and off the field. During the Chittagong Test between Bangladesh and England, the Sri Lankan gave 16 decisions and got half of them wrong. As many as eight decisions were overturned by the Decision Review System (DRS).

The former cricketer was once again in the spotlight for his ignorance of cricket laws- something he accepted later- when England was awarded six runs when they really should have been given five after the throw ricocheted off Stokes bat and went to the boundary during the 2019 World Cup final.

According to the laws, the batsmen should have crossed each other at the time when the fielder was getting ready to throw the ball, which clearly wasn’t the case there. That one run eventually led the game being tied and proceeding to the Super Over. Dharmasena was heavily criticized for his ignorance, something he duly accepted later.