da bet esporte： The record-holding umpire Steve Bucknor has bowed out of Test cricketwith an appeal of his own: leave the decision-making in the hands ofthe on-field officials
da fazobetai： Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town23-Mar-2009The record-holding umpire Steve Bucknor has bowed out of Test cricketwith an appeal of his own: leave the decision-making in the hands ofthe on-field officials. Bucknor, 62, completed his 128th and finalTest on Sunday, when South Africa wrapped up an innings defeat againstAustralia in Cape Town.The three-Test series was the first time Bucknor had been involved inthe player referral system and there were plenty of tight calls thatthe TV umpires were asked to officiate on over the past month. Bucknorsaid he had no qualms about experimenting with the system but feltit should be the standing umpires, not the players, who send decisionsupstairs for review.”We know when the decisions are tough and marginal – we know,” Bucknorsaid. “I believe that we are the ones who should be going up there tosay, ‘third umpire, have a look at this, it is marginal’, because …when a team has used its two referrals, that is when they have failedtwice, they have no more.”So the umpires still can make mistakes and these mistakes could becostly. I have nothing against the experiments but we know when thedecisions are tight. And rather than having a team not capitalising… because they have used all their referrals, I hope that later onit should be the umpires asking rather than the players.”Bucknor said it was a surprising and joyful moment when he walked onto the field for what would turn out to be his final session of Testcricket and received a guard of honour from both teams. As he lingeredon the Newlands ground after South Africa’s victory late in the day,the realisation began to kick in that it was the end of a 20-year Testcareer.”There was a sense of sadness walking around the field because I knewthat that was the last time setting foot on a Test field,” Bucknorsaid. “But not necessarily coming here this morning. I came here thismorning, I came to work and I was prepared to work today and tomorrow.When it was over, that’s when the sadness came in, to know thatthere’s not going to be any more.”After the South Africans won the game with ten minutes to spare on thefourth day, Bucknor knelt on the pitch and offered a prayer. It was atouching moment that highlighted the humility of Bucknor, a devoutChristian who reads from the Bible each morning.”I was giving thanks,” he said. “I’m a believer and I said ‘thank-youLord, you have taken me through, and it all seems to have gone well’.”No umpire has stood in more Tests than Bucknor and it will take sometime to catch up to him; the next on the list is Rudi Koertzen, who with 99Tests to his name needs to stand in a further 30 matches to passBucknor. The final international appearances for Bucknor will beduring the ODIs between West Indies and England in Barbados thisFriday and Sunday.
