Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
Former ICC umpire Steve Bucknor has spoken out about the infamous 2008 Sydney Test between Australia and India.
The match is well known for its incredible finish, where Michael Clarke took three wickets in an over to seal a late win for Australia. However, the match is also well known for other reasons. First, the spate of poor decisions, particularly against India, after which then skipper Anil Kumble questioned whether the match was played in the spirit of the game. Second, the “monkeygate” spat between Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh.
Steve Bucknor spoke about the match in an interview with Mid-Day, stating he made two mistakes across the five days. “I made two mistakes in the Sydney Test in 2008. Mistake one, which happened when India were doing well, allowed an Australian batsman to get a hundred. Mistake two, on day five, might have cost India the game,” Bucknor said.

However, Bucknor defended his performance, stating that two mistakes across five days should not cause such criticism. “But still, they are two mistakes over five days. Was I the first umpire to make two mistakes in a Test? Still, those two mistakes seem to have haunted me,” continued Bucknor.
“You need to know why mistakes are made. You don’t want to make similar mistakes again. I am not giving excuses but there are times when the wind is blowing down the pitch and the sound travels with the wind. The commentators hear the nick from the stump mic but the umpires may not be sure. These are things spectators won’t know.”
The first mistake Bucknor referred to was when Andrew Symonds edged behind to an Ishant Sharma delivery, only for Bucknor to give it not out. Symonds was 30 at the time, with Australia tottering at 134/6. In the end, Symonds smashed an unbeaten 162, as Australia set an imposing first innings score of 463. The second was his decision to give Rahul Dravid out caught behind, when his gloves were clearly tucked behind his pads.
Also read:
Also read:
- Australia told to prepare for England; no T20 World Cup – reports
- IPL likely to be held in UAE between September and November 2020
- Australia vs India 2020 Test series schedule