'I made two mistakes'- Umpire Steve Bucknor admits to 'haunting' errors which cost India 2008 SCG Test

Former umpire Steve Bucknor recently opened up about the highly controversial 2008 SCG Test he officiated in - a match which India lost to Australia.

The Test match saw various incorrect decisions given against the Indians by Steve Bucknor and fellow umpire Mark Benson, apart from the infamous 'monkeygate' scandal involving Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds.

In an interview with Midday, the West Indian umpire admitted to have made two mistakes that might have cost India the match.

“I made two mistakes in the Sydney Test in 2008,” he said.

“Mistake one, which happened when India were doing well, allowed an Australian batsman to get a hundred. Mistake two, on Day Five, might have cost India the game. But still, they are two mistakes over five days. Was I the first umpire to make two mistakes in a Test? Still, those two mistakes seem to have haunted me,” Steve Bucknor added.

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The 74-year-old also stated that sound travels with the wind, and what is heard by commentators and audience via the stump mic might not necessarily be picked up by the umpires.

“You need to know why mistakes are made. You don’t want to make similar mistakes again. I am not giving excuses but there are times when the wind is blowing down the pitch and the sound travels with the wind," he said.

"The commentators hear the nick from the stump mic but the umpires may not be sure. These are things spectators won’t know,” Steve Bucknor added.

In the infamous 2008 SCG Test, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly fell victim to shambolic decisions, while Andrew Symonds and Ricky Ponting were not given out despite clear nicks. India lost the Test at the end of the final day's play, which was a disappointing loss given the stronghold they had in the game early on.

After the completion of the game, captain Anil Kumble famously claimed that only one team played in the spirit of the game.