Rating the 10 best umpires of all time

Not often do the umpires get highlighted in the news for the good reasons, but whenever there’s’ an error coming from them, social media is ready to erupt on them these days. Being an official in any sport is a thankless job, where it takes years to earn a decent reputation and perhaps just a moment to destroy everything.

Officials in the 60s and 70s had no video assistance to back or reverse their decisions, but with evolving technology, video assistance has become a major part of the game. Despite all the technology available to pin-point umpiring errors, some of them stood the test of the eagle eye and proved their worth as a high-quality official.

Here’s a small tribute to 10 such umpires, who with their man-management skills and efficiency in decision making, made games flow smoothly.

10. Richard Kettleborough

In his early days as an umpire, Richard Kettleborough didn’t look pretty confident with his decision-making and was at the receiving end of some criticism. But with time, the Englishman grew in stature and went on to become a regular feature in various high-profile games.

Kettleborough played for Yorkshire but his career as a cricketer went on for just five years. In the 33 First-class matches he played, he scored 1,258 runs and soon shifted gears to umpiring. After making his debut as an official in 2006, he was inducted into the elite panel of ICC umpires in 2011.

His precision on the field was rewarded with three consecutive David Shepherd Trophies in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He was given a chance to officiate in the World Cup semifinal and final in 2015. The 46-year-old still has many years left in him and will perhaps rise a lot higher in these rankings in the coming years.

9. Daryl Harper

In a career which spanned nearly 17 years, Daryl Harper left his mark on the gentleman’s game. The Australian umpire was known for his humorous nature on the pitch and was pin-point accurate with most of his decisions in his prime years.

Beginning his career as an umpire in 1988, Harper made his international debut in 1994 in an ODI game between New Zealand and South Africa. He was beginning to appear in some high-profile games, which includes some iconic Ashes Tests as well. In 2002, he was one of the 8-10 umpires selected to form the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires.

Harper is the 6th most capped official in international cricket history, having stood in the middle for 279 games. Among Australians, only Simon Taufel has appeared in more games. After the India-West Indies series in 2011, where he was criticized for some silly errors, Harper retired from international cricket as an official.

8. Ian Gould

Ian Gould represented England in the 1983 World Cup as a wicket-keeper but his career didn’t progress the way he would’ve wanted. He kept representing Sussex and then Middlesex in the County cricket but never got a callback after playing the 1983 semifinal against India at the Old Trafford.

After kickstarting his career as an umpire in 2006, he was called upon to officiate in 3 World Cup matches in 2007. In the following year, he made his Test debut and made great inroads in the sector with a sharp eye to spot minute details and was also revered by the cricketers for his humorous approach on the field.

In a career than spanned nearly 13 years, Gould stood in the middle for 251 International fixtures, which includes 140 ODIs. After the game between India and Sri Lanka in the 2019 ICC World Cup, he announced his retirement as an on-field official.

7. Steve Bucknor

One of cricket’s most highly rated officials of all time, Steve Bucknor is the only umpire in history to have stood in five World Cup finals from 1992 to 2007. Despite having a controversial end to his fine spell as an official, Bucknor is still regarded as one of the finest officials of all time.

He was given the sobriquet “Slow death” for how long he took to finalize his interpretation. Bucknor was also a FIFA referee, having stood in a CONCACAF and World Cup qualifier between El Salvador and the Netherlands in 1988. A year later, he made his international debut as a cricket umpire in an ODI between India and West Indies.

Bucknor is the third most capped umpire in International history and also the first umpire to officiate in more than 300 international games. His image got a little tarnished towards the end of his career courtesy some huge on-field errors and controversial statements and eventually, he stepped aside from umpiring 2009.

6. Aleem Dar

The most capped official in the history of International cricket, Aleem Dar has been one of the topmost match officials in cricket in the last decade. In a career that spanned nearly 2 decades, Dar became the first umpire to have officiated in more than 350 International matches and is closing in on 400.

Aleem Dar won the David Shepherd Trophy for three consecutive years from 2009 to 2011. In the 2011 World Cup, all the 15 DRS reviews against his decisions were struck down, maintaining a 100% record in the tournament. He stood in the final that edition alongside Simon Taufel.

He was also one of the 20 umpires selected for the 2015 World Cup and 16 umpires picked up for the 2019 edition. He completed 200 ODI games just after the World Cup, becoming the first Asian umpire to have achieved that landmark.

5. Rudi Koertzen

The South African Rudi Koertzen is fondly remembered for how slowly he raised his index finger, but beyond that, he was an astute professional. Koertzen became an umpire in 1981 and it took nearly 11 years for him to enter the international stage, making his debut in an ODI between India and South Africa.

One of the original members of the ICC Elite Panel of umpires in 2002, he went on to become the second umpire in history after Steve Bucknor to officiate in more 200 ODIs and more than 100 Test matches. In the 2003 and 2007 World Cup finals, he was appointed as the third-umpire.

He was highly respected in the fraternity for refusing several offers to fix matches and was highly regarded by the players as well. Koertzen announced his retirement after the 2010 Test match between Australia and Pakistan.

4. Billy Bowden

The man with a crooked finger who made umpiring look entertaining, Billy Bowden is perhaps the most loved cricket official of all time. His popularity among the fans was so huge that he was roped in for commercials of some MNCs like PepsiCo. Besides being a popular figure, he was a thorough professional.

Bowden made his international debut as an umpire in 2000 and was inducted into the ICC Elite Panel of umpires in 2003. He was often one of the first choices for high-profile Ashes encounters and also some unforgettable World Cup knockout games, the most famous one being the India-Pakistan semifinal in 2011 (Third umpire).

Bowden stood in 84 Tests, 200 ODIs and 24 T20I games in his remarkable career and is one of the four umpires in history to have officiated in more than 300 international fixtures apart from Aleem Dar, Steve Bucknor and Rudy Koertzen. Bowden last appeared in an ODI game between Australia and New Zealand in 2016.

3. Dickie Bird

It was a difficult era to be an umpire, but Dickie Bird, with his amazing persona and outstanding efficiency, managed to become one of the finest officials of all time and definitely the finest in the 70s and 80s. He stood in the first three World Cup finals in 1975, 1979 and 1983.

Bird represented Yorkshire and Leicestershire in his days as a player in County cricket and soon shifted to umpiring. He made his international debut in a Test match between New Zealand and England and went on to be in the center for some dramatic Ashes games in the coming years.

Bird was also very strict with his definitions of “Strict bowling” and would barely tolerate or encourage an argument. He officiated in 66 Tests and 69 ODIs in an era without much video assistance and was given an emotional farewell in 1996, where India and England formed a guard of honor for the Yorkshire man.

2. Simon Taufel

Among the many names which tried to make it big in this line, Simon Taufel left an irreplaceable legacy in a career that spanned 12 years and is perhaps one of the greatest sporting officials of all time. He was one of the original members of the ICC Elite Panel in 2002.

Taufel won the David Shepherd award a staggering five times in a row from 2004 to 2008 and was the first-choice umpire for all the high-profile games. He stood in the World Cup final in 2011 and the World T20 final in 2012, after which he announced his retirement.

Taufel subsequently worked as ICC’s Umpire Performance and Training Manager until October 2015. Having stood in the middle for 74 Tests, 174 ODIs and 34 T20Is, he was the youngest in history to have won the bronze bails and will continue to live in the memory of cricket lovers an absolute legend.

1. David Shepherd

Is there even a debate or a question as to who stands first in this elite list of names? David Shepherd, after whose name the umpire of the year award is given these days, was the finest umpire the game of cricket had ever seen and after Dickie Bird, he was one of the first umpires to achieve as much popularity as some cricketers.

After Dickie Bird, he became only the second English official to have officiated in 3 World Cup finals (in 1996, 1999 and 2003). Often revered for his superstitions and various other hilarious gestures, he was impeccably efficient and was often complimented for how brilliantly he would manage a game of cricket.

Shepherd stood in the middle for 92 Tests and 172 ODIs and is till date the most capped international umpire from England. On 27th October 2008 in Devon, Shepherd passed away succumbing to lung cancer.