5 Most Hated Cricket Umpires

Umpires are one of the crucial men in any sport and, most notably, in a cricket match. A good and entertaining umpire making fair and unbiased decisions on the field keeps the game healthy, with the players liking to play as well. It also sets an example of how the umpire should be for future candidates who want to end up in the same position.

On the other hand, an umpire giving poor decisions one after the other and making any team cost crucial matches and wins faces a lot of backlash. Such umpires not only cop hate from the particular nation they costed the game for but also from all other countries. Over the years, there have been a lot of such umpires copping hate over social media for their debatable decisions.

We take a look at five most hated umpires in international cricket of all time:

Joel Wilson:

One of the umpires in recent times who has received plenty of hate is Joel Wilson for his umpiring howlers during Ashes 2019. There were multiple occasions during the entertaining rubber contested in England when Joel Wilson made ten incorrect decisions in the first Test itself. Notably, the 54-year old’s Wikipedia page read as “Joel Sheldon Wilson (born 30 December 1966) is a blind international cricket umpire from Trinidad and Tobago”.

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Joel Wilson copped a lot of hate from the Australians, particularly for not adjudging Ben Stokes out when England needed only two runs to win in Headingley in the third Test. Though the buck stopped with Australian captain Tim Paine, who utilized the review in the previous over and wasted it to have none left, Wilson equally came under fire for not giving it out when replays showed it hit the stumps. Wilson has so far officiated in 21 Tests, 69 ODIs, and 27 T20Is.

Shakoor Rana:

The Faisalabad Test of 1987 between Pakistan and England sparked a rivalry between umpire Shakoor Rana and the visiting captain Mike Gatting. With the second day in Faisalabad nearing the end and England reducing Pakistan 106-5 after ending up with 292. Gatting brought off-spinner Eddie Hemmings and adjusted his field by bringing David Capel from long leg. With the spinner bowling, Gatting brought Capel from deep square-leg to stop the single.

The move was totally legal as he had informed the striker; however, Shakoor Rana interpreted and accused the English captain of cheating. Rana said that waving his hand was cheating, but Gatting’s gesture was not to the fielder. The visiting skipper justified his move to Rana and suggested he return to square leg so the game could go further. As Rana was going back, he was clearly heard to say: “You are a fucking cheat.”

It riled up Mike Gatting, who marched up to Shakoor Rana and the two began exchanging inappropriate insults. The next morning Rana was not willing to resume and would not do so until he received a written apology. Even though Gatting obliged and delivered a hand-written apology, he considered refusing to do so and told the journalists of reconsidering his position as a captain and player.

Also Read: Ranking Top 10 Best Cricket Commentators Of The Current Era

Kumar Dharmasena:

Umpire Kumar Dharmasena found himself in the spotlight during the thrilling 2019 World Cup final between England and New Zealand. Kumar Dharmasena copped heavy criticism for his ignorance of the cricket laws that he accepted later. But New Zealand were robbed of a maiden World Cup title and instead, the victory went to England in a spectacular fashion.

The blunder from the former Sri Lankan cricketer happened when Dharmasena awarded six runs to England when it should’ve been only five as the ball ricocheted off all-rounder Ben Stokes’ bat and touched the rope.

According to the rules, the batsmen should have crossed each other at the time when the fielder was getting ready to throw the ball. But it wasn’t the case back then, as the match eventually ended in a tie and proceeding to a super over due to that one run. Dharmasena, who was heavily condemned, accepted his mistake later.

Also Read: Team-Wise Most Double Centuries Scored In Test Cricket

Daryl Harper:

Former international umpire Daryl Harper had created controversy when he gave Sachin Tendulkar out for a duck during the first Test in Australia in 1999. Daryl Harper’s decision irked massive backlash amongst the Indian fans as Sachin was already being recognized as the God of Cricket. It was the Master Blaster, whose performance single-handedly worked wonders on many occasions.

Spearhead Glenn McGrath fired a bouncer to which Sachin ducked and the bill hit the batsmen’s shoulders. As per the rules book, the umpire still deemed it as LBW and Daryl Harper went as per that to adjudge the captain as out. That ended up provoking an outrage.

But Harper once opened up on that decision and said that that particular decision does not give him nightmares or he keeps replaying in his brain. The Aussie also claimed that he felt proud of making that decision and realized the hate he received from the Indians after that.

Also Read: 10 Unbreakable Records In International Cricket

Steve Bucknor:

Veteran and seasoned umpire Steve Bucknor undeniably occupies the top spot in the list as there are a plethora of cricketers who felt the wrath of his poor decisions on the field. While the likes of Nasser Hussain, Rahul Dravid, and Keith Arthurton are notable mentions, it felt like he always had a score to settle with Sachin Tendulkar. Steve Bucknor infamously adjudged Sachin Tendulkar out LBW off Jason Gillespie without taking into account the bounce in Brisbane.

The 2008 Sydney Test also deserves mention when he refused to send back Andrew Symonds, whose edge of the bat he could not hear. However, Bucknor claimed to have done so when it came off Rahul Dravid’s willow. But the veteran umpire’s call did benefit India during their England tour when he did not give Sreesanth out against Monty Panesar in the closing moments of the first Test when it was stone dead. The tourists escaped with a draw and won the next in Nottingham to win the series eventually.

Also Read: Top 5 Unbreakable Records In ODI Cricket