Worst Umpiring

Forget the result of the match and any trolling if you are on the right side of it all but the display of Dharmasena was about as bad a match I can remember any umpire having since DRS came in. Imagine if this display had been in pre DRS days and how the match would have changed.

We all know that it is a tough job but we may as well have some fun and call out the worst displays by neutral umpires (the bias of home umpiring can be forgotten but not forgiven) and remind people how bad it was. The one that stands out for me is England v South Africa in 98 and Javed Akhtar who got a lot of decisions wrong in a tight match mainly against the Saffers which saw us win the series.

Billy Bowden's 05 Ashes series was lamentable.

India supporters will of course point to Bucknor in Sydney 08 and conveniently overlook that they lost 10 wickets in two sessions and three in the last over to a part timer.

I think Rod Tucker had a very poor series earlier this year iirc, possibly in the Caribbean. I can't recall exactly who was playing in that though.

Mine.

Bucknor and Benson obviously.

Asoka de Silva was a lamentable umpire. There was one Australia-West Indies series (2003 I think) where Mervyn Dillon kept bowling over the wicket to Hayden and Langer with the ball almost never pitching in line. Yet, Asoka kept giving them lbw... I think he gave 4 like those atleast. It was pretty surreal.

It would have been surreal if he'd given them out whilst standing upside down wearing a rhinoceros costume tbh.

Burgey said:

Billy Bowden's 05 Ashes series was lamentable.

India supporters will of course point to Bucknor in Sydney 08 and conveniently overlook that they lost 10 wickets in two sessions and three in the last over to a part timer.

I think Rod Tucker had a very poor series earlier this year iirc, possibly in the Caribbean. I can't recall exactly who was playing in that though.

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pistol reiffel went crazy on the trigger in zimbabwe if that's the one you're thinking of

can't wait for someone to say darrell hair and the thread to degenerate into warne vs murali

Dharmasena had a pretty bad Ashes 2013. Giving out Khawaja as the 3rd umpire at Old Trafford is probably one of the worst decisions made in the DRS era. In fact that whole series was a pretty poor one in terms of umpiring, remember it bringing into dispute the fact that 75% of the elite umpires were English or Australian.

Cabinet96 said:

Dharmasena had a pretty bad Ashes 2013. Giving out Khawaja as the 3rd umpire at Old Trafford is probably one of the worst decisions made in the DRS era. In fact that whole series was a pretty poor one in terms of umpiring, remember it bringing into dispute the fact that 75% of the elite umpires were English or Australian.

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Didn't they recall Bowden to the panel as they only had about 3 umpires to pick from?

Any series involving Billy Bowden. Guy was hopeless, masked his dreadful decision making by attention seeking whenever he signalled anything.

His failure to give a plumb lbw against Raina in the 2011 series, particularly with his explanation to Broad that there was bat involved, is the worst decision I think I've ever seen.

Shady Slim said:

can't wait for someone to say darrell hair

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The hero that world cricket deserved, but not the one that it needed

Peter Parker, Hobart 1999, Justin Langer. Never forgive, never forget. You heard the nick Parker. And Langer didn't walk but Stuard Broad is a cheat.

Russell Tiffin sticks in my mind as the worst I've seen, in Australia in the early 00's. I think one of his poor decisions is up on youtube somewhere.

Black_Warrior said:

Peter Parker, Hobart 1999, Justin Langer. Never forgive, never forget. You heard the nick Parker. And Langer didn't walk but Stuard Broad is a cheat.

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Oh god I remember that. Must've hurt for a Pakistan fan.

Langer was pretty shameless about it after the match too iirc.

TheJediBrah said:

The hero that world cricket deserved, but not the one that it needed

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Like it needed a fissure in a smelly body part.

duffer said:

Oh god I remember that. Must've hurt for a Pakistan fan.

Langer was pretty shameless about it after the match too iirc.

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The pain of that game goes beyond just that innings and match. That was Pakistan's greatest ever generation of players, if they had won at Hobart, they could have won the third test and won their first ever test series in Australia. That could have totally changed the course of that team's journey.

Furball said:

Any series involving Billy Bowden. Guy was hopeless, masked his dreadful decision making by attention seeking whenever he signalled anything.

His failure to give a plumb lbw against Raina in the 2011 series, particularly with his explanation to Broad that there was bat involved, is the worst decision I think I've ever seen.

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Got to admit that I never had an issue with this, even once the novelty wore off. I can see why it would annoy people, but it just didn't bother me, though I seem to be in a small minority (possibly of 1) on this.

His actual umpiring, though, is of course a different matter altogether

england - south africa at leeds in 1998. the saffies got sawn off something fierce. i mean i wasn't complaining as it was pretty much the only enjoyable series as an england fan during my childhood.

this also rankles to this very day.....

4th Test: Australia v England at Melbourne, Dec 26-28, 2006 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

hoggard had symonds and hayden bang dead in front (hayden more than once) when the aussies were on the ropes and neither got their marching orders.

Whoever the 3rd umpire was that didn't give Slater run out in the final ashes test of 1998-99. Shameful stuff.

wpdavid said:

Whoever the 3rd umpire was that didn't give Slater run out in the final ashes test of 1998-99. Shameful stuff.

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Pretty sure it was Bucknor. **** he was woeful. No idea how he has thus reputation amongst many people as a great umpire.

ImpatientLime said:

england - south africa at leeds in 1998. the saffies got sawn off something fierce. i mean i wasn't complaining as it was pretty much the only enjoyable series as an england fan during my childhood.

this also rankles to this very day.....

4th Test: Australia v England at Melbourne, Dec 26-28, 2006 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

hoggard had symonds and hayden bang dead in front (hayden more than once) when the aussies were on the ropes and neither got their marching orders.

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Ah good old Rudi Koertzen. An inspiration to us all that he reached the pinnacle of his chosen field despite being completely blind.