Bucknor wants a century of his own

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Bucknor wants a century of his own 09/04/04
Umpire wants to be first to record

International umpire Steve Bucknor has set himself the personal target of reaching his own unique century, namely becoming the first umpire to make 100 Test appearances.



The Jamaican broke the world Test record for umpiring appearances in 2002 when he surpassed the record held then by the animated Dickie Bird of England

Bucknor, who made his Test match debut during the 1988/89 series in the Caribbean between the West Indies and India, has so far officiated in 89 Tests to sit alongside his 118 one-day internationals, including four World Cup finals.

A keen soccer enthusiast, he is the only official to have taken part in both World Cup cricket and football, having refereed a World Cup soccer international between El Salvador and the Netherlands

Commenting on the rigors of his career, Bucknor said it was not as simple as just standing in front of the wickets.

"I have to work hard to keep myself fit to meet the demands of umpiring," he told the BBC.

"With extensive television coverage, umpiring has become very difficult. Everyone makes mistakes, but I am pretty happy with my performances."

Explaining his approach to coming up with his decisions, Bucknor said it was important to completely focussed on every delivery.

"I give myself enough time to think about my decision, to replay just about everything about that delivery, and by so doing I should in the end be able to make that decision," Bucknor added.
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The West Indian umpire came in for heavy criticism last December after the Brisbane Test between Australia and India, with Indian captain Sourav Ganguly giving Bucknor a very poor rating for his performance in the Sydney Test.

During India's 1992 tour of South Africa, Bucknor was also criticised by match referee Clive Lloyd after refusing to call for television replays that showed South African batsman Jonty Rhodes short of his ground.

Nevertheless, he remains a member of the International Cricket Council's elite panel and stood in the second Test between Pakistan and India in Lahore, which ended on Thursday.

Source: Cricket365

[acker]

If he raises his finger up much slower while giving his much delayed "lbw" decisions he will get a "century of seconds" between the appeal and the decision.