There are some decisions in the history of cricket, which are recorded in the memories of the fans more than the scorecard. There was one such period when umpire Steve Buckner’s decisions against Sachin Tendulkar, known as the ‘God of Cricket’, remained in controversies. The incidents of Sachin being given out wrongly twice within five days had shocked the fans. There was no Decision Review System (DRS) at that time, so decisions could not be reversed. Sachin would leave the field with his head bowed every time, but there would be a pain in the hearts of the fans. Now years later, Buckner has apologized to Sachin for those mistakes.
Brisbane 2003: When the ball was over the stumps
The first incident is from Brisbane Test in Australia in 2003. Buckner gave Sachin out LBW on the ball of Jason Gillespie at Gaba ground. Replays clearly showed that the ball was going well above the stumps. Sachin was definitely surprised, but he respected the decision and returned to the pavilion without any dispute. This was an example of his sportsmanship and dignity.
Sydney 2005: The ball was away from the bat
The second incident occurred in Sydney in 2005. Sachin was caught out on the ball of Pakistan’s Abdul Razzaq, even though the ball was far away from his bat. Both these decisions made Buckner the target of Indian fans. Even before the era of social media, he was accused of bias and was even called a ‘dishonest umpire’.
buckner’s confession
Recalling these incidents, Steve Buckner admitted in a recent interview, ‘I made two big mistakes. The first mistake occurred when the ball was going over the stumps and the second when the ball did not touch the bat. Giving that decision against Sachin in Australia is one of those memories of my career which I want to improve. He called it a human error and believed that giving a wrong decision against such a big player remains in the mind for a long time. Buckner, who umpired in a total of 128 Tests and 181 ODIs, said umpiring has now improved because of DRS and urged umpires who oppose the system to think again.
Sachin’s greatness and the dignity of the game
This regret of Buckner cannot change history, nor can it add to Sachin’s account the runs he could have scored, but this admission definitely underlines the dignity of the game and the greatness of Sachin. Sachin became a victim of wrong umpiring many times throughout his career, but he never lost his dignity. This is the reason why he is considered not only a great batsman but also a great player.
Sachin also made fun of Buckner
Before India’s tour of Australia in the year 2024, Sachin had also targeted Buckner in a post. Although, he did not mention anyone, but the fans had guessed whom he was talking about. Sachin had shared a picture, in which he was seen batting in front of three big trees. All three trees were in such a way that they looked like wickets. In its caption, Sachin asked his fans that which umpire made the stump feel so big? Fans believed that Sachin’s post was a clear allusion to the controversial decisions made by Buckner.