Sydney, March 16 (IANS) Umpire Steve Bucknor launched a scathing attack on the Indian cricket board Monday, claiming that it used its financial might to sack him from the Perth Test.
Bucknor’s performance in the explosive second Test in Sydney last year led India captain Anil Kumble to file a negative report on the West Indies official.
Bucknor, 62, has announced Thursday’s third Test between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town will be his 128th and last.Reflecting on a career spanning 20 years that included a record five World Cup finals, the Jamaican says he wasn’t surprised by the fuss the Indian camp made over his efforts in that eventful Sydney Test last year.
“I know that in the life of everyone there are going to be good times and bad times,” Bucknor was quoted as saying in the Australian media.
“I have survived for a long time. Had it not been for strong-willed people within the ICC, I might have been out due to negative reactions from certain quarters.”
“When you speak to a captain and he’s not happy with you and if his (national) association is strong enough, they may believe that they should take action. Oh, this umpire shouldn’t be within the system because the captain is seeing something wrong,” Bucknor said.
“I knew there would have been a moment when things would not have gone as well. But at the same time, I made two mistakes out of more than 40 calls.”
“I got better than 94 per cent in that particular game but it wasn’t good enough for some people,” he added.
“So, I was expecting these things to happen because on earth … there are some people who are more equal than others. Because they are more equal, they seem to have more say. And what they say, especially influenced by money, they seem to have their way. So, I’m not too surprised.”
source: Thaindian News
