Umpires play an important role in the field of cricket. One wrong move can lead to disaster on the field. There are two umpires on the field. One umpire stands behind the stumps where the bowler begins to bowl, and another stand facing the batsman who is facing the delivery. The umpires make the decisions under the laws of cricket. There are two more umpires who are not present on the field and are known as third umpires. They take the decisions when the on-field umpires signal them to, or if the players are not satisfied with the on-field umpires, they take the review, and the third umpire gets into the action, replaying the videos and resolving the issue. There are many umpires who are famous for their decisions. Below we will see ten most famous umpires in T20 World Cup History:
1. Anthony Lloyd Hill
Anthony Lloyd Hill (born June 26, 1951), commonly known as Tony Hill, is a retired umpire from New Zealand. He made his debut as a T20 umpire in 2005. On the field, he has umpired the game 17 times in T20 internationals from 2005 to 2012. He was famous for his on-field correct decisions, which the teams on the field used to believe easily without any doubt or referring to the third umpire. He is well known for his presence at the 2007 T20 World Cup. He was appointed as an official member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires in 2009. After completing 15 years as an umpire, Hill took his retirement in 2013.
2. Srinivas Venkatraghavan
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan (born April 21, 1945) is a former Indian cricketer who played for India in all formats of cricket. After 10 years of retirement, Venkat debuted as an umpire in 1993. He was known for his quick, eye-catching skills on the field. In his legendary 11 years as an umpire, he has umpired 42 ODI matches, including a few world cups. He received the Padma Shri in 2003.
3. Daryl Harper
Daryl John Harper (born October 23, 1951) is a former Australian umpire who debuted in 1987 as an umpire. Harper umpired the opening match of the 2003 Cricket World Cup and received much praise for his quick decisions. He became a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires in 2002. He has umpired 174 ODI matches. In 2011, Harper retired as an umpire after facing criticism from India during the India and West Indies test series.
4. Rudi Koertzen
Rudolf Eric Koertzen (born March 26, 1949; died August 9, 2022) was a South African umpire who, before his debut as an umpire, used to play league cricket. He was a cricket enthusiast. He made his official umpiring debut in 1992. In his career, he has umpired 209 ODI and 14 T20 matches. He umpired the 2007 World Cup. He had also umpired many big-league games, the Champions Trophy, and the Ashes and was well praised for his right decisions. In 2010, he retired as an umpire.
5. Aleem Dar
Aleem Dar (born June 6, 1968) is a former Pakistani cricketer and currently serves as an umpire. He made his umpiring debut in 2003. He was a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. Up until now, he has umpired 229 ODI and 70 T20 matches and is famous for his on-field presence in the 2007 T20 World Cup. Dar won the David Shepherd Trophy three times, from 2009 to 2011. The Pakistani government awarded him the President’s Pride Award for his performance.
6. Steve Bucknor
Stephen Anthony Bucknor (born May 31, 1946) is a former West Indian umpire. He made his umpiring debut in 1978. He has umpired 181 ODI matches and is well known for his right decisions on the field. He has umpired five world cups consecutively from 1992 to 2007. Bucknor has also received many awards as an outstanding umpire.
7. Simon Taufel
Simon James Arthur Taufel (born January 21, 1971) is a former Australian cricket umpire and a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. He won the ICC Umpire of the Year award consecutively for five years, from 2004 to 2008. He has umpired 174 ODIs and 34 T20 matches. He was an umpire in the 2003 World Cup, and after his last match as an umpire in the 2012 World Cup, he announced his retirement.
8. Dickie Bird
Harold Dennis "Dickie" Bird (born April 19, 1933) is a former cricket umpire from England. He is known as one of the best umpires in cricket history, as he was loved by everyone. Cricketers were always happy with his decisions, and he was appointed as an umpire in many important matches. In his umpiring career from 1973 to 1996, he umpired 69 ODI matches. He has umpired in three World Cup finals. He announced his retirement in 1998.
9. Billy Bowden
Brent Fraser "Billy" Bowden (born April 11, 1963) is an umpire from New Zealand. He is known for his dramatic signalling style, which includes the famous "crooked finger of doom" signal. He made his umpiring debut in 1995 and is still known as one of the best umpires. He has umpired 24 T20 and 200 ODI matches. He was selected as one of the 20 umpires for the 2015 World Cup. He is currently officiating in the Super Smash T20 Women's competition.
10. Ian Gould
Ian James Gould (born August 19, 1957) is a former umpire from England. He made his umpiring debut in 2006. He has umpired in the 2007, 2015, and 2019 Cricket World Cups. He is famous for his quick skills and is known as one of the best umpires in the cricket world. He has umpired in 141 ODIs and 37 T20 matches. Even though he announced his retirement as an umpire in 2019, he was appointed as an umpire for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
