Steve Bucknor finally admits regret over Tendulkar decisions: From Brisbane to Kolkata, past controversies revisited

For many Indian cricket fans from the 90s and early 2000s, the name Steve Bucknor still brings back painful memories. Gen Z fans may not fully understand it, but there was a time when every time Bucknor stood as umpire in a match involving India and Sachin Tendulkar, tension levels would rise.

Bucknor, who retired from officiating games in 2009, was one of the most respected umpires in world cricket for over two decades. He stood in more than 120 Test matches and several Cricket World Cup finals. But despite his long career, he is remembered in India mainly for his controversial decisions against Tendulkar.

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Bucknor has finally admitted that he made a couple of mistakes against Tendulkar. In an interview with the West Indies Cricket Umpires' Association, he said that giving Tendulkar out lbw in 2003 Test against Australia was an error and that people still remind him about it every day. He said mistakes happen in life.

"Giving Sachin Tendulkar out leg before wicket, and it's a matter of knowing that it was a mistake, but until this day, every day, people talk about it. Why did I give him out? Was he out and so on? But then in life, mistakes happen. I have accepted that it was a mistake, and life goes on," Bucknor said.

Steve Bucknor officiated in 21 Tests and 56 ODIs involving India. Image: Reuters

Here's a list of Bucknor's controversial decisions against Tendulkar:

Brisbane - 2003

The most famous incident happened during the 2003-04 Test between India and Australia at The Gabba. Tendulkar, at the peak of his career, was given out lbw to Jason Gillespie for a three-ball duck.

The Indian legend tried to leave the ball, but it came back and hit his pads. There was a loud appeal from Gillespie and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. Bucknor quickly raised his finger. Replays later showed the ball was clearly going over the stumps.

Kolkata - 2005

The second decision Bucknor has admitted regret over happened at Eden Gardens in 2005 against Pakistan. Tendulkar was given out caught behind off Abdul Razzaq's bowling just when he was nearing his 35th Test ton. What made this decision worse was that replays clearly showed there was a gap between bat and ball.

The appeal made by Pakistani players was not very confident, but Bucknor still raised his finger. Interestingly, Tendulkar had earlier complained about poor light during his innings, but play continued. Soon after he was dismissed, the match was stopped due to bad light. This created even more anger among fans.

Fans hold posters criticising Bucknor for his decision in Kolkata. Image: AFP

Sydney - 2008

One of the most controversial matches in cricket history was the 2008 Sydney Test between India and Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground. The match was already full of drama due to the Monkeygate controversy involving Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh, but there were also a few contentious umpiring decisions.

In that Test, Bucknor admitted to making two umpiring mistakes that turned the game in Australia's favour and eventually helped them retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

In an interview with Mid-Day, Bucknor had said: "I made two mistakes in the Sydney Test in 2008. 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."

Kolkata - 1999

Another incident often mentioned by fans happened during the 1999 India vs Pakistan match at Eden Gardens. Tendulkar was batting on 7 when he clipped Wasim Akram to deep midwicket. He comfortably completed two runs, bringing up his milestone of 5000 Test runs, and went back for a third.

Substitute fielder Nadeem Khan fired a throw from the deep, and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was standing near the stumps to collect it. As Tendulkar tried to make his ground, he collided with Akhtar, which slowed him down and left him short of the crease when the bails were removed. Bucknor referred the decision to third umpire, who after a long delay ruled him out.

While Bucknor did nothing wrong in this situation, the incident only added to the painful memory of Indian fans.

Indian fans unhappy with Bucknor

Over the years, many fans started believing that Bucknor had something against Tendulkar. Some felt he never seemed happy when Sachin was nearing milestones like his 5,000th or 10,000th Test run, or important centuries.

It is also fair to say that umpiring in those days was very difficult. There was no DRS, no ball-tracking, and decisions had to be made in seconds. Even other top umpires have made mistakes against big players.

Indian fans burn effigies and posters of Bucknor after his 2008 decisions. Image: Reuters

Tendulkar’s take

Despite all this, Tendulkar has always handled the situation with dignity. In a social media interaction a couple of years back, when a fan asked him about Bucknor, the former Indian batter jokingly said that when he was batting, the Jamaican should wear boxing gloves so he could not raise his finger.