Top 10 Umpires Of All-time?

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futureblackcap

futureblackcap

Well-Known Member
Please don't get too upset about my list. I can only rank the umpires that have been umpiring in my life-time. :p

1) Simon Taufal
2) David Shepherd
3) Aleem Dar
4) Steve Bucknor
5) Rudi Koertzen
6) Daryl Harper
7) Kumar Dharmasena
8) Billy Bowden
9) Marais Erasmus
10) Asad Rauf (always thought he was a good umpire before the match-fixing controversy)

Dickie Bird would probably be there as well if he wasn't before my time haha. What do you guys think?
 
lol only a kiwi could have Billy 'hey look at me!' Bowden on their list, the bloke is rubbish. Taufel is easily the best umpire I've ever seen, very rarely made mistakes. Bird was very highly respected by players iirc. Thoughts on Darrell Hair? Bucknor at 4 also surprises me but maybe his year or two really bad form has tarnished his career for me.
 
Kram81 said:
lol only a kiwi could have Billy 'hey look at me!' Bowden on their list, the bloke is rubbish. Taufel is easily the best umpire I've ever seen, very rarely made mistakes. Bird was very highly respected by players iirc. Thoughts on Darrell Hair? Bucknor at 4 also surprises me but maybe his year or two really bad form has tarnished his career for me.
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I didn't put Billy there cause he's a Kiwi haha. I put him there because I think he's largely been a good umpire... Otherwise I'd have put Tony Hill on the list as well haha. Btw, Steve Davis is for me, one of the worst umpires I've ever seen! Darrell Hair was a bit inconsistent for me. He'd have one or two good matches and then make a few big blunders. Overall a decent umpire I thought though.

I'm pretty sure Steve Bucknor retired three or four years a go?
 
Definitely drop Rudi Koertzen down the list, he is Tony Hill bad. Does Dharmasena actually umpire? I am aware that he puts on the umpires kit and goes out to the middle but I aren't aware of him doing anything that would be called 'umpiring'

I'd put Rauf up further, even if he is guilty of match fixing he's still a good umpire.

In my lifetime:

1 - Taufel
2 - Bird
3 - Dar
4 - Rauf
5 - Sheppard
6 - Hair (he applied the rules as they are written)
7 - Bucknor (2 bad years doesn't make for a bad career)
8 - Erasmus
9 - Harper
10 - Bowden (not great but he is consistent)

At the end of the day though we're all way too harsh on umpires, if you have to reflect on a bad call as the reason for your loss then you probably weren't good enough in the first place.
 
leftie600 said:
Definitely drop Rudi Koertzen down the list, he is Tony Hill bad.
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No other umpire is Tony Hill bad...

leftie600 said:
Does Dharmasena actually umpire? I am aware that he puts on the umpires kit and goes out to the middle but I aren't aware of him doing anything that would be called 'umpiring'
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I've been impressed with him although I did miss his "shocker" of a match...

leftie600 said:
I'd put Rauf up further, even if he is guilty of match fixing he's still a good umpire.
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Fair enough.

I probably was a bit harsh on Darrell Hair...
 
Not too sure about Rudi:



Plus I needn't remind you about that caught behind of Steve Waugh of Vettori that he didn't give in Perth in 2000-01
 
Taufel is the best of the modern era. Only problem was that he was Australian so we'd never get him in test cricket due to the neutral umpires rule.

Bowden and Dar have always been pretty ordinary and Bucknor's last year or so probably costs him a higher spot. Bird was generally very good.
 
Ljp86 said:
Bowden and Dar have always been pretty ordinary and Bucknor's last year or so probably costs him a higher spot. Bird was generally very good.
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I'm still going to standby Bowden and especially Dar as good umpires. Bowden wasn't the best by any stretch of the imagination but he was more consistent than a lot going around... Dar was one of the best for mine! I only put him down the order because of the match-fixing scandal.

Worst umpires ever:
1) Steve Davis
2) Asoka De Silva
3) Tony Hill
4) Ian Gould
5) Paul Reiffel

Thoughts? lol
 
What about Matthew Nicholls? Oh wait wrong sport..
futureblackcap said:
Worst umpires ever:
1) Steve Davis
2) Asoka De Silva
3) Tony Hill
4) Ian Gould
5) Paul Reiffel

Thoughts? lol
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Pretty good, can't remember many of Gould's decisions though for some reason. I'm sure there must have been quite a few other nuffies I've seen over the years but their names escape me at the minute I'll have to have a think about it.
 
futureblackcap said:
I'm still going to standby Bowden and especially Dar as good umpires. Bowden wasn't the best by any stretch of the imagination but he was more consistent than a lot going around... Dar was one of the best for mine! I only put him down the order because of the match-fixing scandal.

Worst umpires ever:
1) Steve Davis
2) Asoka De Silva
3) Tony Hill
4) Ian Gould
5) Paul Reiffel

Thoughts? lol
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Kram81 said:
What about Matthew Nicholls? Oh wait wrong sport..

Pretty good, can't remember many of Gould's decisions though for some reason. I'm sure there must have been quite a few other nuffies I've seen over the years but their names escape me at the minute I'll have to have a think about it.
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Rauf, Dharmasena, Billy Doctrove.
 
I think it was Steve Randell that ended up getting done for being a child molester... Was involved in the initial Murali chucking calls at the GABBA with Hair iirc.
 
Dumb and Dumber are back for the Ashes..

Billy Bowden is to return to elite-level umpiring during the Ashes after being drafted in for the upcoming series in Australia. Bowden was dropped from the ICC's Elite Panel of umpires in June but has been announced as one of the on-field umpires for the third Test in Perth and the TV umpire in Melbourne.

Umpiring decisions had been a source of controversy during the Ashes series in England, particularly with regard to the officials' use of the Decision Review System. The fact that only four of the 12-man Elite Panel are not English or Australian put further strain on the four neutral umpires involved: Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus and Tony Hill.
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http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2013-14/content/story/687133.html

Seriously the neutral umpire rule has to go, it sounds good in theory but just doesn't work in practice. IIRC it contributed to Taufel quitting because spending so much time away from a young family was just too much.
 
Kram81 said:
Seriously the neutral umpire rule has to go, it sounds good in theory but just doesn't work in practice. IIRC it contributed to Taufel quitting because spending so much time away from a young family was just too much.
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I reckon allow recognised quality umpires to umpire their home nation in games, that way they stay involved, and then get the up and coming umpires to do the whole neutral thing until they've proven their competence, that way the newbies get exposed to different cultures and pressures.
 
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