Steve Bucknor regrets giving Sachin Tendulkar out, admits it was ‘a mistake’ he had to live with throughout his career

23 years later, Steve Bucknor accepts his mistake, saying he was wrong in giving Sachin Tendulkar out in the Brisbane Test against Australia.

Today’s young cricket fans may never fully understand the kind of torment West Indies umpire Steve Bucknor inflicted on fans of the Indian cricket team, and especially, Sachin Tendulkar. Bucknor, now 79, was one of the most respected match officials of his era, officiating in more than 120 Tests and serving on umpiring panels at multiple World Cups. However, he is still remembered for a series of contentious calls against the Master Blaster – many of them in high-profile matches – decisions that are still debated across the cricketing world.

Sachin Tendulkar wasn't exactly lucky when Steve Bucknor was officiating. (AFP)

Bucknor adjudged Tendulkar out incorrectly on multiple occasions, but one of his most infamous howlers against Sachin came during a Test between India and Australia. Bucknor ruled Tendulkar LBW after an appeal from Jason Gillespie, despite replays later suggesting the decision was highly debatable, as the ball would have flown above the stumps. In the series opener of the 2003/04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Tendulkar, then at the peak of his powers, was dismissed for a three-ball duck in the first innings after Bucknor raised his finger almost instantly following a loud appeal from Gillespie, wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist, and the rest of the Australian fielders.

All this while, Bucknor never spoke about his decisions involving Tendulkar, until today, when he finally broke silence on the matter. 23 years later, Bucknor has finally admitted that he was wrong in his judgment and that Tendulkar shouldn't have been given out.

“Giving Sachin Tendulkar out leg before wicket, and it's a matter of knowing that it was a mistake, but until this day, every day, people talk about it,” Bucknor said in an interview with the West Indies Cricket Umpires' Association.

“Why did I give him out? Was he out and so on? But then in life, mistakes happen. I have accepted that it was a mistake, and life goes on,” he added.

How did the dismissal come about?

On a bouncy surface at The Gabba, Tendulkar attempted to leave the delivery but was struck on the pads. After the appeal, Bucknor raised his finger, clearly misjudging the bounce. Tendulkar had misread the movement, shouldering arms to a ball that pitched outside off and jagged back sharply to hit him in line, but was visibly stunned, struggling to believe the call had gone against him.

On commentary, the late great Tony Greig echoed that disbelief, immediately terming it a “dreadful decision.” Replays later showed the ball was climbing well above the stumps, confirming it as a major error that ended Tendulkar's stay quickly.

“That is a dreadful decision. Have a look at this, look at the bounce and movement,” said Greig.

This was not the only occasion when Bucknor left Sachin Tendulkar stunned. Two years after the Brisbane incident, during a match between the India national cricket team and the Pakistan national cricket team, a delivery from Abdul Razzaq zipped past Tendulkar’s bat without making any contact, yet Bucknor raised his finger following a rather muted appeal.

Tendulkar himself summed up his equation with Bucknor best during an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit last year. When a fan asked him to say something about Bucknor, Tendulkar replied, “When I am batting, give him boxing gloves to wear (so he can't raise his finger.”