Which nation has the dodgiest umpires?

[Tim]

As of late I don't think Aleem Dar has exactly been on his game, but I do think he's one of the better umpires around.

 

[social]

Pre-neutral umpires, many Australian umpires were absolute shockers - not in terms of cheating but simply incompetence.

Pakistani umpires, on the other hand ......

Did you know that Javed Miandad, who basically covered his stumps with his pads, was never given out lbw at home. The guy was a fantastic cricketer who didnt need the additional bonus of home-town decisions.

Greg Ritchie tells a fantastic story about out-bidding Imran for his wicket during his first series in Pakistan. Cost him his Australian jumper but, hey, its not like he was going to use it in Pakistan anyway.

Anyway, the problem now for umpires is the intense scrutiny that they are under e.g. endless slo-mo replays, snicko, tramtracks depicting where the ball landed or the batsmen are struck in relation to the stumps, and, worst of all, political pressure. There are some more competent than others but the days of outright bias seem to be behind us.

 

[bryce]

taufel and bowden have been in great form lately and another umpire i rate highly is steve davis - i've seen him a bit and he looks very good.
i don't rate koertzen anymore and think he is overrated and i think shephard and bucknor need to call it quits in all honesty

 

[C_C]

(Deness (spel)ring any bells

irrelevant.
Denness was Match refferee. Not Umpire. And the situation was handled by BCCI,not the players.

The aussie players know how to play to the umpires(bucknor seems to be the most receptive of this and he responds much more cozily with the aussies than other nations) but they are pretty disrepectful of umpires.
While the subcontinental folks are overzealous in their appeals, they dont throw tantrums at the umpires like Warne did to Dar or Slater did to Venkat.

In terms of substandard umpiring, the current Aussie lot are okay but Darrell Hair and Peter Parker were total ninnies. Another set of ninnies were Ashoka deSilva and SK Bansal.
Different nations have different periods when their umpires are absolute junk.

As per dodgy pitch meaning worse umpiring, its the other way round. Dodgy pitches where the ball moves unpredictably sharpens the umpiring instincts IMO. Its easier umpiring on good pitches where the bounce is consistent and predictable.

 

[SJS]

What's the nationality of Steve Bucknor ?

PS Just for my information

 

[SJS]

There was a time when umpiring was generaly poor (and biased) in three countries. In no particular order, these were, NewZealand. Pakistan and India. You could rate them depending on your objictivity or bias or nationality . I think bias is bias and needs no further rating. That they were biased was bad enough. No point in fans from any of these countries shouting that the other two were worse !

The best umpires , relatively, came from England.

Things have changed since then. Imran did the greatest service to the game by keeping on insisting on neutral umpires and the game is better off for it.

 

[bryce]

first time i've ever heard of bias umpiring in NZ cricket history - i think it may have been more in the poor standard category if anything(i think the only reason they would of been brought up is the 1979/80 west indies tour), funny you left the aussies off there where bill lawry had the record of never been given out LBW in australia

 

[SJS]

first time i've ever heard of bias umpiring in NZ cricket history - i think it may have been more in the poor standard category if anything(i think the only reason they would of been brought up is the 1979/80 west indies tour), funny you left the aussies off there where bill lawry had the record of never been given out LBW in australia

First of all I am an Indian. Just to let you know.

Secondly, I base my opinion on what I have heard from a whole generation of Indian test players from the seventies and eighties. I am not saying that they did not say their were wrong decisions in other countries, but I dont remember anyone complaing of what they percieved as 'cheating' as they prefered to call it.

As for New Zealand, well I can only tell you that I am surprised you have heard this the first time.

 

[bryce]

so am i, especially since you put them in the 'top 3' which did not include australia - where the bill lawry stat makes it seem they were anything but fair

 

[superkingdave]

What's the nationality of Steve Bucknor ?

PS Just for my information

he's from Jamaica

The worst display of umpiring i've seen in a match was Eng vs Pakistan 2nd Test, 2001. Maybe my judgement was clouded by being in the uni bar watching it but there were some poor decisions and also half the wickets were no balls. It was Eddy Nicholls and Shepherd but it was more incompetence than bias

 

[SJS]

so am i, especially since you put them in the 'top 3' which did not include australia - where the bill lawry stat makes it seem they were anything but fair

You may be right. But I hadnt heard of ut.

 

[Zinzan]

Your right suggesting that the finger can't really be pointed to one nation in test cricket now with Neutral umpiring.

Having said that, In one day cricket (today) and tests in the days of home umpires, Australia would be the worst for mine.

The one that gutted me the most was Darryl Hair (i think) in Melbourne 1987-88 - the famous match where Whitney survived the last over from Hadlee.New zealand needed one wicket in the last 25 minutes or so to win the test and draw the series. Morrison had Mcdemott absolutely plum LBW, not just a tad plum, dead out.
The umpire just couldn't raise the finger. He just couldn't do it to his home team. The aussie commentator at the time reacted "surely thats plum"

So often they have folded and made bad decisions when Australia are under pressure or possibly losing their way a game. Peter Parker had a more recent shocker in Mccullum's LBW.

Who knows, maybe I just notice it more because its against my team.
But from a Kiwi's point of view it seems so often we've been done over the years by aussie officials in cricket as well as a number of other sports. Rugby league being the other classic.

England umpires were always the fairest in the days of home umpires.

In these days of neutral ump's , I suppose its only natural that if the umpire is 50-50 on a decision, it probably would go in favour of the home team, especially with the home crowd in their ear.

 

[marc71178]

so am i, especially since you put them in the 'top 3' which did not include australia - where the bill lawry stat makes it seem they were anything but fair

But he was only LBW 7 times in his career - maybe his technique had something to do with it as well?

Certainly I don't think you can use just 1 player like that.

 

[Beleg]

From what I have seen, WI tops it. And not just in partisanism, some of the decisions made in the 1999-2000 Wi vs. PK series [for both teams, though primarily WI] were just overall shockingly bad.

From what I have heard, very little can equal NZ vs. WI in 1981?, Pak vs. WI in 1987 and the first MCC tour of Pakistan.

 

[marc71178]

On a side note, WCM had an article a couple of months back on the England tour of India in 1976/77.

Classic was reading about the 4th Test, when India brought in a debutant in Yajurvindra Singh.

He fielded at Short Leg to the spinners and was given 5 catches in the first innings (although it was given as a catch whether it hit the bad or the pad)

In the second innings, he had another 2 and was 1 short of the World Record when number 11 Bob Willis went out.

Apparently Willis' comments on going out were along the lines of "there's no way that he's getting that record" (watered down version)

3rd ball he faces, Willis charges Bedi and misses the ball (apparently deliberately!) - and is stumped.

 

[social]

first time i've ever heard of bias umpiring in NZ cricket history - i think it may have been more in the poor standard category if anything(i think the only reason they would of been brought up is the 1979/80 west indies tour), funny you left the aussies off there where bill lawry had the record of never been given out LBW in australia

Not just incompetent, they gave a test series to NZ v Windies.

 

[C_C]

I agree with SJS that in the eras gone by, NZ umpiring was terribly biassed.
I remember reading about the WI series in NZ in 1980/81.....no balls called after the batsman was bowled, catch to 2nd slip not given, yorker not given lbw etc etc.

 

[bryce]

But he was only LBW 7 times in his career - maybe his technique had something to do with it as well?

Certainly I don't think you can use just 1 player like that.

i remember the channel 9 commentators giving him a go about it one time, he had 54 test innings in australia and never was given out lbw whereas in 69 away test innings he was given out lbw seven times, i'm no cricket historian but it's just what i've heard and i think it may be fair judgement seeing as lawry was australia's best batsman around that time AFAIK

 

[bryce]

I agree with SJS that in the eras gone by, NZ umpiring was terribly biassed.
I remember reading about the WI series in NZ in 1980/81.....no balls called after the batsman was bowled, catch to 2nd slip not given, yorker not given lbw etc etc.

again i'm no cricket historian but that's the only time of heard of NZ umpires doing such a bad job that it could be considered bias, hardly enough to place them in an elite group of cheaters, unless you have other accurate examples...
-the series was in 1979/80 btw

 

[C_C]

again i'm no cricket historian but that's the only time of heard of NZ umpires doing such a bad job that it could be considered bias, hardly enough to place them in an elite group of cheaters, unless you have other accurate examples...
-the series was in 1979/80 btw

I am not saying that they were cheaters....just that during that period, NZ umpiring was not very fair....
Australia and Pakistan come to mind as well...their umpires simply refused to give their batsmen out lbw.......Javed Miandad was a chief benificiary of this and so was Bill Lawry.
The Windian umpires were pretty dodgy near the end of the 80s.....infact i've met one player from the Windies-Pak series in late 80s (in the caribbean) and he basically admitted that the windies should've lost the test at Barbados but the umpires were too scared to give them out.
Indian umpiring was pretty mediocre before the advent of Venkat.....and Bansal was definately a tosser....might as well just flip a coin to deciede if its out or not out.