Top 10 Best Cricket Umpires in the World

Cricket is one of the major sports in the world, and its popularity has been steadily growing with the passage of time. There are only 10 Test playing nations in the world at the moment, but more than a hundred countries play the sport at different levels, making an effort to match the best in the business. As compared to most other sports, cricket involves a larger number of technicalities and has a diverse set of rules, which can be extremely difficult for a beginner to understand. This is precisely the reason why an umpire plays a crucial role in the game. An umpire is responsible for making sure all the rules are adhered to, and one bad decision can change the entire course of a match.

At the present moment, there are 12 individuals in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Elite Panel of Umpires, apart from a number of others. Test matches, and most of the important limited-overs encounters at the international level, are officiated by the elite panel only, and the group contains a number of extremely talented individuals, who are the best at what they do.

Instructions

  • 1

    Aleem Dar

    Hailing from Pakistan, Aleem Dar is considered one of the best umpires in the history of the game. He won the ICC Umpire of the Year award in three consecutive years, from 2009 to 2011. He has been officiating international matches since 2000, including the all-important World Cup finals.

  • 2

    Billy Bowden

    Billy Bowden is extremely popular for his unique body language and his different style of umpiring signals. He belongs to New Zealand, and has been trusted with a number of important responsibilities in past.

  • 3

    Simon Taufel

    Simon Taufel, along with Aleem Dar, is considered one of the finest umpires of the modern era. The 42-year-old has recently retired from international cricket, but continues to officiate domestic matches in different countries.

  • 4

    Steve Davis

    Steve Davis from England is one of the most senior umpires in the game at the moment; he started his career in 1992, and is still doing an impeccable job.

  • 5

    Kumar Dharmasena

    A former Sri Lankan off-spinner, who was also a part of the World Cup winning team in 1996, Dharmasena is now an umpire and was named the ICC Umpire of the Year in 2012.

  • 6

    Ian Gould

    The former England cricketer is one of the most respected and skilled umpires in international cricket these days.

  • 7

    Tony Hill

    Another umpire hailing from New Zealand, Tony Hill has been serving as an umpire in international cricket since 1998.

  • 8

    Asad Rauf

    Asad Rauf is a brilliant umpire, and the second Pakistani to be in the ICC Elite Panel at the present moment.

  • 9

    Rod Tucker

    Officiating since 2009, Rod Tucker is also a former first-class cricketer.

  • 10

    Bruce Oxenford

    A former first-class cricketer, Oxenford is an emerging and extremely talented umpire at the highest level of the game.

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