BCCI to felicitate Bucknor

The Indian board would felicitate Steve Bucknor at Eden Gardens on March 16 for the West Indian's feat of becoming the first umpire to stand in 100 Tests.

The Indian cricket board would felicitate Steve Bucknor at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 16 for the West Indian's feat of becoming the first umpire to stand in 100 Tests.

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Bucknor will be presented a memento just before the start of the opening day's play of the second Indo-Pak Test, BCCI joint secretary Gautam Dasgupta said on Sunday.

Bucknor, who made his Test umpiring debut in the India-West Indies match at Kingston, Jamaica in 1989, completes the first ever 'century' in Test umpiring in the coming Eden Gardens tie.

He will be officiating along with Darrell Hair of Australia.

By reaching a century of Test appearances, Bucknor will become the first recipient of the ICC Golden Bails Award, part of the ICC's umpire recognition programme.

He also has officiated in four consecutive ICC cricket World Cup finals.

Dasgupta said ICC might also fete Bucknor during the match. ICC president Ehsan Mani is scheduled to reach Kolkata on March 18, the third day of the Test, and watch the proceedings at the Eden.

Pakistan Cricket Board chief Shahriyar Khan is slated to accompany Mani.

Legendary Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar, spin great Bishen Singh Bedi and former Pakistan skipper Wasin Akram would also be present during the Test.