DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC):

Fellow Elite Panel umpire, Rudi Koertzen, has lamented the huge void of experience the retirement of Jamaican Steve Bucknor will leave in international cricket.

The 62-year-old Bucknor quit umpiring after a 20-year career in the middle, following the final Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands on Sunday.

"It is a huge loss for us as a panel with him leaving," said Koertzen. "It was the same when David Shepherd left too, you just can't make up for experience.

"I have the utmost respect for Steve and his career. He has been one of the best - you have to be to have umpired five World Cup finals - and I will definitely miss having him around.

"You can't replace experience and knowledge. Steve stood in 128 Tests and to have had him as a colleague has been a privilege. He is a strong and supportive man whose abilities will be sorely missed by the sport."

Double-header

One of the game's most respected officials, Bucknor has also stood in 179 one-day internationals (ODI) and will add to that tally when he officiates his two final matches in a double-header between West Indies and England at Kensington Oval in Barbados this weekend.

Currently, Koertzen is the only umpire to stand in more ODIs than Bucknor, officiating 195 matches.

Former New Zealand captain Jeff Crowe, an International Cricket Council match referee, said Bucknor's knowledge of the game had been one of his major qualities.

"Steve is a gentle giant whose experience and expression of the laws of the game fit his unmistakable stature in the middle," Crowe said.

"We will miss his quiet but purposeful presence in almost every umpire's dressing room on the planet."

ICC umpires' manager Doug Cowie, in paying tribute, said Bucknor's career had been a 'testament to his qualities of dedication, resilience and accuracy."

"The things that made Steve a great umpire are also reflected in his personal qualities - fairness, understanding and honesty. He always gave the game and the players the utmost respect, even when under the greatest of pressure in Test cricket," said Cowie, himself a former umpire.

"The umpiring world will not be completely losing a champion. Steve has ambitions to become involved in the development of West Indian umpiring and you could not find a better role model and mentor than the genial Jamaican."

Legendary former West Indies captain, Clive Lloyd, has described Bucknor as an asset to the game and says he hopes the experienced Jamaican is utilised by the West Indies Cricket Board in developing a new cadre of officials.

"We all have to go at sometime and now it is Steve's time but I hope he continues to work within cricket," said Lloyd, also chairman of the International Cricket Council's Cricket Committee.

"It will be a loss to the game if he doesn't continue in some capacity with cricket and I hope that the West Indies Cricket Board will look to use his knowledge and experience when it comes to training and coaching new umpires.

"I've known Steve since his inception as an ICC umpire and have worked with him as an ICC match referee and things that comes to mind about him are his honesty and hard-working attitude. He takes his job very seriously and is a huge credit to cricket and the game," Lloyd said.

Great Jamaican, West Indian

"I wish him well for the next part of his career - he is a great Jamaican and a great West Indian.'

Two former Test captains have also praised Bucknor, Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq and England's Alec Stewart, both of whom played over 100 Tests.

"I first met Steve during the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and it was the time when I was trying to cement my place in that multitalented Pakistan team," said Inzamam, who scored 8,830 runs from 120 Tests in a career spanning 16 years.

"The journey since then with Steve has been fabulous and the more he stood in our matches, the better I got to know him.

"It was an absolute privilege to play in matches he umpired as I always respected his decision-making, man-management skills and above all, his humble and friendly attitude. I also know he was an inspiration to many young umpires who took up umpiring with him as their role model."

Stewart, whose 133 Tests yielded 8,463 runs, echoed Inzamam's sentiments.

"I hold Steve Bucknor up there with David Shepherd as one of the greats of my era in umpiring," Stewart noted.

"I think the fact Steve has been able to stand for as long as he has is a great reflection of him as an individual and also as an umpire.

"He had great man-management skills and could diffuse any situation along with making sound decisions at tough times. Steve takes things in his stride and his relaxed and calm attitude will be missed in the game."

Inzamam, who quit international cricket in 2007, said Bucknor's experience and expertise would be a value to other officials.

"I sincerely hope he keeps his association with this great game and passes on his rich experience and knowledge to the umpires and continues to play the mentor's role," said the former Pakistan batsman.