Asad Rauf

Asad Rauf was born on 12 May 1956 in Lahore, Pakistan, was a first class cricketer and is now a member of the Emirates ICC Elite Umpire Panel. He became a first-class umpire in 1998. He has 39 Tests, 90 ODIs and 17 T20Is in his credit. Indian model Leena Kapoor recently filed a complaint against Pakistan cricket Umpire Asad Rauf in Mumbai in which she says that Asad was in a relationship and had promised to marry her. But Asad denied any relationship with her. 

Image of Umpire Asad Rauf

 Photo of Umpire Asad Rauf batting

 Image of Umpire Asad Rauf giving some signal

 Picture of Umpire Asad Rauf

 Image of Umpire Asad Rauf

Image of Umpire Asad Rauf with Model Leena Kapoor

 

  Photo of Umpire Asad Rauf with Model Leena Kapoor

Daryl Harper

Daryl John Harper was born on 23 October 1951 in Mile End, South Australia. He is an Australian cricket umpire, who was a Test umpire between 1998 and 2011. He was a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires from 2002 until 2011. In June 2011, after the India-West Indies Test series, Harper retired from umpiring.

Images of Daryl Harper

.

Rudi Koertzen

Rudolf Eric Koertzen commonly known as Rudi Koertzen is a former international cricket umpire. Koertzen was born on 26 March 1949 in Cape Province, South Africa. He became an umpire in 1981. His "slow death" style of indicating that a batsman is out makes him very popular anywhere in the cricket world. He was nominated for the Umpire of the Year award in 2005 and 2006, finishing 3rd on both occasions behind Simon Taufel, who won on both occasions, and Aleem Dar, who was second on both occasions.

Rudi Koertzen with Shahid Afridi

Rudi Koertzen in his last Test between Pakistan & Australia

Rudi Koertzen and Simon Taufel

Rudi Koertzen with his award

Rudi Koertzen giving out signal to Ricky Ponting

Stephen Davis

Stephen James Davis, (born 9 April 1952), is a current Australian Test cricket match umpire, from South Australia. He was appointed to the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires in April 2008.He has supervised 31, 100 and 14 Tests, ODIs and T20Is matches respectively.

Images of Stephen Davis

David Shepherd, England

David Robert Shepherd MBE was born on 27 December 1940 in Bideford, Devon. His father was Herbert was also an umpire for North Devon Cricket Club. He was was one of the cricket world's best-known umpires. He stood in 92 Test matches, the last of them in June 2005, and officiated in three World Cup finals. Shepherd was awarded the MBE for services to cricket in 1987, and he became the President of his home county club Devon in 2006. He died of lung cancer on 27 October 2009 in Devon.

Image of David Shepherd

Image of David Shepherd

Image of David Shepherd

Image of David Shepherd

Image of David Shepherd

Asoka De Silva

Asoka De Silva is a Sri Lankan umpire. He played in 10 Tests and 28 ODIs from 1985 to 1992 before umpiring. De Silva served on the ICC Elite Umpire Panel between 2002 and 2004. he was invited back to the Elite level in April 2008 when the panel was expanded to twelve members. He continued as a member of the ICC International umpire panel in the interim period, being used by the ICC to support the Elite Panel during busy periods in the International cricket season. He umpired in the Cricket World Cup tournaments in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

Image of Asoka De Silva with Afridi

Image of Asoka De Silva

Image of Asoka De Silva

Image of Asoka De Silva

Steve Bucknor

The Stephen Anthony Bucknor OJ known as Steve Bucknor, is a former international cricket umpire. He was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 31 May 1946. He became a high school mathematics teacher and sports coach, before becoming an international football referee and a cricket umpire. In October 2007, he was awarded the Order of Jamaica, Commander Class, for "outstanding services in the field of sports". Bucknor retired from umpiring in March 2009. His final Test match was the 3rd Test between South Africa and Australia at Cape Town on 19–23 March, and his last One Day International match was the 4th ODI between his native West Indies and England at Barbados on 29 March, bringing his 20 year career as an official to an end. He had supervised 128 Tests (from 1989 to 2009) and 181 ODIs (from 1989–2009) as umpire.

Image of Steve Bucknor receiving Award

Image of Steve Bucknor referring decision to TV umpire

Image of Steve Bucknor

Image of Steve Bucknor with Harbhajan Singh

Simon Taufel

Simon Taufel is an Australian cricket umpire who is a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. He won five consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards between 2004 and 2008, and is generally considered to be one of the best umpires in the world.

Simon Taufel signaling six

Simon Taufel with Umpire of the year award

Simon Taufel with his family

Simon Taufel

Simon Taufel signaling six

Aleem Sarwar Dar

Aleem Sarwar Dar was born on June 6, 1968 in Jhang, Punjab, Pakistan, is a retired Pakistani first-class cricketer and a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel are the only umpires to have received the Umpire of the Year award since its inception. He has played for Allied Bank, Gujranwala Cricket Association, Lahore, and Pakistan Railways as a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler. Since his retirement as a player, he has gained prominence as one of the leading umpires in international cricket. He was educated at Islamia College, Civil Lines, Lahore.

Dar is best known as an international cricket umpire. He made his international umpiring debut in an ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Gujranwala on February 16, 2000. In 2002 he became a member of ICC's International Panel of umpires. He impressed the ICC with his accurate decision making, and was chosen to umpire at the ICC Cricket World Cup in early 2003, where he was one of the better-performing umpires. His high standard was again rewarded when he was appointed to stand in his first Test match in October 2003; the match between Bangladesh and England at Dhaka. Over the next six months he was appointed to stand in several more Test matches, and as a neutral umpire in ODI matches away from Pakistan.

In April 2004, he became the first Pakistani to be part of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel. Since then he has been regarded as one of the top umpires. On 17 October 2007 Dar umpired in his 100th ODI (between India and Australia at Mumbai), making him the tenth umpire in the history of cricket to reach that landmark. He reached the landmark in a record time, taking just seven years, and became the first Pakistani to officiate in a century of One Day Internationals.

He was nominated twice for Umpire of the Year award in 2005 and 2006 but finally he won the award in October 2009, at the annual ICC awards ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa. In October 2010, he won the award for a second straight year. On August 14, 2010, the Government of Pakistan honoured him with the President’s Award for Pride of Performance.

Dar proved his accuracy yet again in 2011 Cricket World Cup when All the 15 Umpire Decision Review System appeals against him were struck down.

He umpired 65 Tests (2003–present), 146 ODIs (2000–present) and 18 T20s (2009–present) upto 20 Jun, 2011.

Image of Aleem Dar with his award

Image of Aleem Dar with Muralitharan

Image of Aleem Dar

Image of Aleem Dar with his award

Image of Aleem Dar

Billy Bowden

Brent Fraser "Billy" Bowden was born on 11 April 1963, is an international cricket umpire from New Zealand. He was a player until he began to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and took up umpiring. He is well known for his dramatic signalling style which includes "crooked finger of doom" out signal. In March 1995 Bowden officiated his first One Day International between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Hamilton. In March 2000 he was appointed his first Test match as an on-field umpire, and in 2002 he was included in the Emirates Panel of International Umpires. A year later he was asked to umpire at the Cricket World Cup in South Africa, and was chosen to be the fourth umpire in the final between Australia and India. Shortly after this he was duly promoted to the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, of which he is still a member. He umpired 65 Tests (2000–present), 152 ODIs (1995–present) and 19 T20s (2005–present) upto 4 March 2011.Because of his arthritis, it was too painful for Bowden to signal a batsman out in the conventional fashion, with a straight index finger raised above the head, and this led to the "crooked finger of doom". He has also put his own slant on several other signals, including a "crumb-sweeping" wave of the arm to signal four, and the "double crooked finger six-phase hop" to signal a six. His signals are sedate in Tests, more flashy in ODIs and decidedly flamboyant in Twenty20.He has been awarded with ICC Bronze Bails Award for 100 ODIs.

Picture of Billy Bowden signalling six

Image of Billy Bowden

Another interesting style of Billy Bowden with Steve Bucknor

Billy Bowden checking light

Billy Bowden signalling six

Duties of Cricket Umpire

The game on the field is regulated by two umpires, one of whom stands behind the wicket at the bowler's end, the other in a position called "square leg", a position 15–20 metres to the side of the "on strike" batsman. When the bowler delivers the ball, the umpire at the wicket is between the bowler and the non-striker. The umpires confer if there is doubt about playing conditions and can postpone the match by taking the players off the field if necessary, for example rain or deterioration of the light. Off the field and in televised matches, there is often a third umpire who can make decisions on certain incidents with the aid of video evidence. The third umpire is mandatory under the playing conditions for Test matches and limited overs internationals played between two ICC full members. These matches also have a match referee whose job is to ensure that play is within the Laws of cricket and the spirit of the game.