Retired West Indies cricketer and famous umpire Steve Bucknor finally broke silence on his controversial decisions against legendary Team India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
Bucknor made some on-pitch calls as an umpire that attracted ire from Indian cricket fans for much of his officiating career. The former umpire now admits his mistake after dismissing Tendulkar in error years ago.
When Did Bucknor Make the Controversial Calls Against Sachin Tendulkar?
1. 2003/04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Team India relied on the batting threat of Tendulkar when India faced Australia in Brisbane during the high-profile encounter. Tendulkar appeared during this encounter in his usual calm demeanour and hoped to secure a big-hitting performance against Australia’s bowling attack.
He squared off against Aussie pacer Jason Gillespie and the bowler’s ball struck Tendulkar at a high point on his front padding. Australian fielders launched an immediate appeal, and Bucknor raised his finger after a brief pause to send Tendulkar out.
Replays clearly show the ball travelling over the stumps at Gabba after Bucknor’s call already cut Tendulkar’s innings short.
2. India v Pakistan 2005 Test
Pakistan toured India in 2005 for the high-stakes Test meeting against their arch-rivals. Tendulkar was at the receiving end of another controversial call from Bucknor during this encounter.
Sachin was on 52 and firing on all cylinders to clinch a major innings in that game, but Bucknor obviously had other plans.
Tendulkar faced Green Shirts all-rounder Abdul Razzaq in that innings and attempted a defensive shot to keep his run-scoring campaign alive. Razzaq’s ball passed Sachin’s bat and went into the hands of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
Bucknor ruled against Tendulkar after the Pakistan squad initiated an appeal. The appeal ended with Bucknor once again raising his finger to unjustly dismiss Sachin again.
Spectators at the packed Eden Gardens expressed their displeasure, as television replays clearly showed that Tendulkar made no contact with the ball. The error led to another unfair dismissal for India’s legendary hitman in a second must-win encounter.
“Mistakes Happen”, Bucknor Says as He Admits Error 22 Years Later
Fans recall the leg before wicket dismissal more than the “ghost edge” incident involving Bucknor at Kolkata a year later. Bucknor seems to be worried the most by his wrong call against Tendulkar in that Brisbane encounter as well.
The retired umpire shared his regret on the matter during an interview organised by the West Indies Cricket Umpires’ Association:
“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. Why did I give him out? Was he out and so on? But then in life, mistakes happen.
“Life Goes On”, Retired Umpire Says After Admitting Costly Blunder
Bucknor acknowledged the mistake he made by dismissing Tendulkar unjustly while responding during this interview. He followed by saying everyone must now move on after taking responsibility for the error:
“I have accepted that it was a mistake, and life goes on,” the now-aged Bucknor said.
Bucknor Speaks About His Journey to Becoming an ICC Umpire
The retired umpire revealed how an injury forced him to abandon a 13-year cricket career for professional officiating:
“Well actually when I passed my first exam in 1972, I played for 13 years. Then I got an injury and I told myself that playing days will be over. So, I’ll now concentrate on umpiring and not playing. But in the meantime, I was always umpiring and playing but stop play and go umpire. But then it was more fun than anything. Those were my thoughts,” he said during the interview.
“No Outside Influence” Should Guide Officiating Decisions – Bucknor Insists
Bucknor says umpires must be fairly certain about their decision-making and not allow external influence determine their judgment:
“There can’t be any outside influence depending on how you think. Don’t think about who’s playing because if I can’t give a West Indian captain first ball leg before. Why not? I’m not thinking about who is playing because I see a batsman or a batter. I see a bowler and in front of me I see fair play. So, you may put yourself under pressure but the pressure must not come from outside,” Bucknor added.
Bucknor’s Recent Admission Differs from Earlier Stance
The former umpire is now over 80 years old and may have had more time to reflect on his earlier admission of errors in judgement against Sachin Tendulkar and Team India. Bucknor famously stated in 2020 that he made mistakes, but he hinged the errors as technical lapses:
“To err is human. Once, in Australia, I gave him [Sachin Tendulkar] out LBW and the ball was going over the top”, he had said during a radio show in 2020.
However, he has made a clear admission in the February 2026 comments during the interview that sharply differs from his statements six (6) years prior.
