Bucknor umpires fifth world final

[Karl]

Bucknor umpires fifth world final

Bucknor's five appearances in the final is an umpiring record


Steve Bucknor and Aleem Dar have been named as the on-field umpires for Saturday's World Cup final in Barbados.


West Indian Bucknor will be standing in his fifth successive final, but it will be the first for Dar, from Pakistan.

"It is a dream come true. I was happy umpiring in a World Cup in the Caribbean and being asked to stand in the final makes it even more special.

"As for preparations, it will be business as usual," said Bucknor, who has umpired 162 one-day internationals.
Dar, meanwhile, acknowledged it would be the biggest match so far of his seven-year international umpiring career.

"I will look to treat it as I would any other match and just look to do my job the best I can.
MOST WORLD CUP FINALS
5 S Bucknor
3 H Bird, D Shepherd



"I have always worked well together with Steve - he is a great umpire and we have a good understanding, so that should be a great help to me on Saturday," he said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has sent a message of support to 38-year-old Dar which praised his "remarkable skills as one of the best umpires of modern day cricket".

Billy Bowden and Rudi Koertzen will serve as the off-field officials for the final, between Australia and Sri Lanka.
Only neutral officials can be involved in the match, so Australians Simon Taufel and Darrell Harper were not considered.

The International Cricket Council has also appointed former New Zealand captain Jeff Crowe as match referee. "I was lucky enough to play in two World Cups but I never played in a final, so this is a great way to be involved.
"With my patriotic hat on I would have loved it if the Black Caps had reached this stage but the fact that they have not has given me a fantastic opportunity," he said.

[Mosiah]

Re: Bucknor umpires fifth world final

Good going, Steve!

It is our sorry West Indies team that allows Steve to set these records. Were we making the finals, then one of our own would not be officiating!

[Karl]

Re: Bucknor umpires fifth world final

In quest of a fitting World Cup finale

Saturday, April 28, 2007


If today's Cricket World Cup 2007 final lives up to its billing, and the several high quality players on either side perform close to their optimum, it will be unforgettable.

For while we are still hurting at the poor display by the West Indies team in the Super Eights and the early exit of India and Pakistan, there can be no doubting that the two finalists have been, by far, the two best teams in the competition.

Of course, the Australians take pride of place. For while the Sri Lankans have lost twice, the Australians, in search of an unprecedented third straight World Cup, have looked unstoppable.

Inevitably, the Sri Lankans, World Cup winners in 1996, will enter today's game at the rebuilt Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados as the underdogs. And as usually happens with underdogs they are likely to have the support of the majority of 'neutrals' looking on.

That fact is not likely to worry the Australians who personify the professional approach which we have consistently insisted is the way to go in West Indies cricket.

That this is the final game in international cricket for the great fast bowler, Mr Glenn McGrath, will undoubtedly provide additional incentive for the defending champions and provide greater intrigue for the rest of us.

We can be sure that if the Sri Lankans reproduce the kind of performance that took them past New Zealand in that first semi-final at Sabina Park on Tuesday, the mighty Aussies will be severely tested.

The World Cup's opening ceremony at the Trelawny Stadium in western Jamaica on March 11 was hailed as one of, if not the best ever. How wonderful it would be if this final game is seen in similar light.

Hailing Steve Bucknor
Given all the bitterness and disappointment surrounding the West Indies' performance at the World Cup it is easy to forget that one of Jamaica's and the Caribbean's great sons will be very much at the centre of today's final.

Mr Steve Bucknor, a man of humble beginnings from Montego Bay, will be standing in his fifth straight World Cup final. The cynics will probably suggest that this unprecedented run is partly the result of the fact that the West Indies have not been to the final in all that time. They will point out that only neutrals are asked to stand as umpires in Cricket World Cup games.

But even the cynics cannot deny the consistent excellence that has made Mr Bucknor first choice among many others since the 1992 World Cup.
Indeed, since his elevation to international status in 1989, Mr Bucknor, now 60 years old, has been consistently acclaimed as being the best or among the very best on the international panel of cricket umpires.

He is living testimony to what can be achieved with hard work, dedication and unflinching professionalism.

We wish Mr Bucknor and his partner, Mr Aleem Dar of Pakistan, the very best today.