Adrian Frater, News Editor

Umpires Billy Bowden (left) and Steve Bucknor caught in a relaxed mood before the 2007 Cricket World Cup warm-up game between the Netherlands and Kenya at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, last year. - Photo by Adrian Frater

WESTERN BUREAU:

EMBATTLED WEST Indies Test umpire Steve Bucknor, who is now facing a firestorm of controversy for his two costly errors in the just concluded second Test match between India and Australia, is expected to be greeted by friendly, understanding faces when he returns home to western Jamaica.

"While we acknowledge that he might have made those two costly mistakes, we are not joining those who are condemning him," said Jerry Reid, a former national player and top-flight St. James cricket administrator. "Once we get the details of his arrival plans, we will be going to the airport in our numbers to welcome him home."

Like the West Indies Cricket Board, Phillip Service, president of the Trelawny Cricket Association, is upset by the manner in which the International Cricket Council (ICC) axed Bucknor from the third Test match and thinks its actions set "a most dangerous precedent".

"His (Bucknor) record over the years shows that he is one of the finest umpires the world has seen, but, like all human beings, we have to recognise that he can make mistakes," said Service. "We, in the West Indies, have been the victims of serious umpiring errors over the years, but none of the offending umpires has ever been treated in this manner by the ICC.

"Removing Bucknor from the third Test at the insistence of the Indian Cricket Board is a bad move because it is setting the stage for teams to begin to dictate who should umpire their games," added Service. "In my book, Mr. Bucknor is a top umpire and I still hold him in the highest regard."

Adrian Grant, chairman of the Jarrett Park Management Committee (JPMC) and former St. James cricket administrator, said while he can understand the Indians being aggrieved by the decisions - which they felt cost them the Sydney Test against Australia, he thinks they were genuine errors and not incompetence or dishonesty on Bucknor's part.

Embarrassing removal

"Maybe he (Bucknor) needs a break from the game because after so much back-to-back cricket at his age, maybe he is suffering from fatigue," said Grant, who saw the incidents as they unfolded on television. "Nonetheless, I think he should have been removed in a more discreet way than in the embarrassing manner it was done."

While 61-year-old Bucknor, who has umpired in an unprecedented five Cricket World Cup finals alongside a record 120 Test matches, has hinted that he would like to continue at the highest level for a least another year, both Grant and Reid think he should give serious thoughts to retiring.

"While I am sure he (Bucknor) would want to continue, I think he should really begin to think seriously about retirement," said Grant. "After such a long and illustrious career, I would hate to see him making more mistakes and damaging his reputation."

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adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com