Top 5 controversial cricket umpires of all time

The decisions of the onfield umpires are vital in deciding the outcome of a match

#1 Steve Bucknor

Sachin Tendulkar was at the receiving end of several dubious decisions given by Bucknor

West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor is undoubtedly the most controversial umpire of all time and was involved in several altercations during his tenure as an international umpire. Arguably the greatest batsman of all time, Sachin Tendulkar, was at the receiving end of many dubious decisions given by Bucknor.

The trend which started in 1992, eventually ended in 2008, when he was suspended from umpiring in the Perth Test involving India and Australia, after a series of dubious decisions in the infamous Sydney Test.

On the first day of the Sydney Test, Bucknor adjudged Andrew Symonds not out after the batsman clearly edged an Ishant Sharma delivery to MS Dhoni. That was just the beginning of what was about to come. Symonds was wrongly given not out on two more occasions, as he notched up a century which bailed the hosts out of trouble. The controversial decisions kept coming from Bucknor which ultimately led to his suspension from the next Test.

Following the match, Famous Umpire Dickie Bird also felt “he had gone on too long.” Apart from the decisions, Bucknor also mimicked Rahul Dravid for which he was fined 50% of his match fees.