A cricket player’s career is limited. With age and the rising competition, it becomes difficult for him to play as efficiently and cope with the pressure the game brings. Most players retire by the age of 40. Post-retirement, some find other jobs while others stay connected to cricket by becoming commentators, coaches, or officials. There have been many players who became umpires after retirement. Here are the Top 10 International Cricketers-turned-Umpires –
1. Ian Gould
Ian Gould was a former English left-handed wicket-keeper-batter. He kept the wickets in the 1983 World Cup for England. He has played 18 ODIs for England, all in 1983. He couldn’t his Test cap but did field as a substitute fielder. After retirement as a player, he chose to be an umpire. He was inducted into the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in 2009. He retired as an umpire after the 2019 ICC World Cup match between India and Sri Lanka, his 99th international match as an official.
2. Kumar Dharmasena
Kumar Dharmasena was a bowling-all-rounder who made his international debut in a 1993 test match against South Africa. With time, he turned into a regular ODI player for Sri Lanka and was part of their victorious 1996 World Cup. He holds the record for the most ODI matches before recording his first duck (72). He gave up playing competitive cricket in 2006 to become an umpire. He was selected in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in 2011 and regularly officiates in all formats.
3. Richard Illingworth
Richard Illingworth was a slow left-arm bowler and a sticky lower-order batter who played for England from 1991-1996. His modus operandi extracted the wickets by bowling maidens and building pressure on batters. As a night- watchman, he has three centuries for Worcestershire. He started international umpiring in 2010 and is an active official across all three formats. He was named in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in 2013.
4. Paul Reiffel
Nicknamed ‘Pistol,’ Australia’s Paul Reiffel was an accurate right-arm seamer and a handy lower-order batter. He holds the record for the 2nd highest eighth-wicket partnership in ODI. Along with Shane Warne, he stitched a 119-run stand against South Africa in 1994 in Port Elizabeth. He was part of the triumphant Australian side in the 1999 World Cup. He retired from international cricket to become an umpire. He is an active ICC Elite Umpire and has officiated in 233 international matches.
5. Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson was an Australian right-handed batter and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He played a test match and 11 ODIs for his country before switching to the role of an umpire. He made his umpiring debut in a T20I match between England and Australia in 2014 and has officiated in 87 international matches since.
6. Srinivas Venkataraghavan
An accurate right-arm off-spinner from India, Srinivas Venkataraghavan was the 2nd bowler in history to take wickets of all eleven batters in a test match. He did so against New Zealand in 1965 in Delhi. He played international cricket for 18 years donning the official’s hat. He was one of those who served both as an umpire and a referee. In the 157 international matches he officiated, he was the standing umpire in 125, TV umpire in 19, and referee in 13. He retired from the role of umpire in 2004.
7. Mark Benson
Mark Benson played for England in just one ODI and a test. He was a left-handed opening-batter. Although scoring loads of runs for Kent, he didn’t get many opportunities in the international arena and started international umpiring in 2004. He officiated in 158 matches and retired as an international umpire in 2010 and as a domestic umpire in 2016.
8. Asoka De Silva
Asoka de Silva was a Sri Lankan leg-spinner as a player. He played 10 tests and 28 ODIs for his country and has 25 wickets across both formats. He played his last competitive match in 1997 and then focused on his umpiring dream. He was the first umpire from Sri Lanka to be an Elite Umpire in ICC’s panel. He officiated in the World Cups in 2003, 2007, and 2011. His last match as an umpire was an ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2012.
9. John Hampshire
John Hampshire was the first English batter to score a Test hundred on debut in Lord’s. He was a middle-order batter with 403 test runs and 48 ODI runs to his name. He became a member of the ICC Elite Umpires Panel in 1999. He officiated in his last match in Dhaka in 2002.
10. Peter Willey
Peter Willey was a right-handed batter and a right-arm off-break bowler. He made his test debut against West Indies in 1976 in Headingley. He has 1184 test runs and 538 ODI runs to his name. After retirement, he became an umpire. He was offered a place in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires but refused it citing personal reasons. After turning 65, Willey retired as an umpire.
