Steve Bucknor accepts his decisions might have cost India the 2008 Sydney Test

Perhaps there isn’t an umpire in the world who would evoke as many emotions as Steve Bucknor would in Indian cricket fans. The legendary Jamaican official will always be remembered for his infamous decisions in the controversial Sydney Test of 2008, which India eventually went onto lose in the final session of the game. The Test kicked up a storm for all the wrong reasons including the “Monkeygate” incident, and Bucknor found himself in the eye of the storm.

Nearly 12 years after the Test match, Bucknor has now acknowledged that his decisions may have cost India the Test match. Having lost the first game of the series, India could not afford to lose the second as well. India had Australia on the mats having reduced the hosts but Andrew Symonds’ charmed innings propelled Australia to relative safety. Bucknor remembers that his decision played a key role in determining the course of the game. "Mistake one, which happened when India were doing well, allowed an Australian batsman to get a hundred,” Bucknor told mid-day.

The second error in judgment Bucknor might be referring to, although ambiguously, is the caught behind decision against Rahul Dravid, who was fighting to save the Test on the final day. “Mistake two, on Day Five, might have cost India the game,” Bucknor admitted.

Bucknor, however, feels that the amount of flak he received was unjustified. "But still, they are two mistakes over five days," Bucknor pointed out. "Was I the first umpire to make two mistakes in a Test? Still, those two mistakes seem to have haunted me. You need to know why mistakes are made. You don't want to make similar mistakes again. I am not giving excuses but there are times when the wind is blowing down the pitch and the sound travels with the wind. The commentators hear the nick from the stump mic but the umpires may not be sure. These are things spectators won't know.”

Bucknor was subsequently relieved of his duties from the following Test match in Perth, which India famously won. Although he was subjected to severe scrutiny, Bucknor’s record of having officiated in over a hundred test matches and in five consecutive World cups between 1992 and 2007 is a testament to his greatness.

[Cricbuzz inputs]