The contribution of any sport, including cricket, relies on one major person – the umpire. The best umpires play a crucial role, despite advancements in technology like DRS and camera replays. Even with these technological aids, umpires still hold a substantial part in cricket, making their role indispensable.
Despite their significance, the profession of umpiring isn’t as sought after by a considerable number of people. While readers can easily name at least 10 of the finest cricket players in 10 seconds, the same may not be true when asked to name at least 5 of the best umpires to have ever officiated an international match.
This knowledge gap can be embarrassing for someone who loves the sport but may not be familiar with the names of the top umpires. Don’t worry, CricReads is here to provide you with comprehensive insights into everything related to cricket, including information about the best umpires in the world.
Here’s a list of 8 Best Umpires of All Time in International Cricket –
7) Tony Hill (New Zealand)
Tony Hill holds the 8th position in our list of best umpires. The numbers do speak for his greatness as an umpire. He had a 13 year long umpiring career where he umpired in 96 ODI, 40 test matches and 17 T20i matches. Hill was named in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in 2009 for his contributions to the sport.
6) Rudi Koertzen (South Africa)
Rudi Koertzen started his umpiring career way back in 1981 when he officiated a domestic match. It took him 11 years to feature in an international game as an umpire in South Africa vs India match. He is known to raise the standard of umpiring in the matches. Further, he was named in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires.
5) Billy Bowden (New Zealand)
A 21 year long umpiring career depicts the story or standard of umpiring Billy Bowden has instigated in the cricket. The umpire was eminent for his quirky umpiring signals, for instance, dance jigs while signaling a six or his crooked fingers to adjudge the batsmen out.
He has the ICC Bronze Braille award for officiating in 100 ODI and has also been on the ICC Elite panel of umpires list. Billy Bowden has featured in two 2003 World Cup matches in which a hattrick was taken.
4) David Shephard (England)
David Shephard made his umpiring debut in the 1983 world cup when India lifted the world cup for the first time. He became a cynosure due to the movement that he used to raise his leg after a team reached a score of 111. He is one of those rare umpires to feature in the 1996,1999 and 2003 world cup finals as an umpire.
3) Aleem Dar (Pakistan)
Aleem Dar is the pride of Pakistan, who was awarded the Pride of Performance Award Pakistan for his significance on the international stage. Aleem Dar debuted in 2000 and soon after 2 years was named in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires.
He also has three consecutive ICC’s best umpire of the year award from 2009 to 2011. He is renowned for his 2011 world cup journey where he gave 15 consecutive right decisions which won the battle against the decision review system (DRS).
2) Simon Taufel (Australia)
All the 90s kids do know and remember this legend. But little know his history. Simon was a fast bowler and had even received the best & fairest player award at club cricket. However, he had to cut short his cricketing career due to a back injury and decided to pursue umpiring in 2000.
Simon Taufel’s decisions were so on point that he didn’t need to refer to 3rd umpire for a run-out. He won the ICC best umpire’s award consecutively for 5 years from 2004-to 2009. After 2012, Simon decided to end his umpiring career and took the role of umpiring performance and training manager.
1) Michael Gough (England)
Michael Andrew Gough, an English cricket umpire and former cricketer, distinguished himself as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler during his playing career. Currently, Gough serves as an international umpire and holds a position on the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, representing the England and Wales Cricket Board.
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