A social media post of great batsman Sachin Tendulkar has created a stir on social media. Sachin has shared a picture, in which he is seen batting in front of three big trees. All three trees are arranged in such a way that they look like wickets. In its caption, Sachin asked his fans that which umpire made the stump feel so big? In response to this question, fans have given many answers on social media. Many speculated that the post was a dig at former umpire Steve Buckner. Bucknor did not have a good relationship with Sachin Tendulkar in the 1990s and 2000s. Fans believe that Sachin’s post is a clear reference to the controversial decisions made by Buckner. During India’s tour of Australia in 2008, some of Buckner’s decisions were heavily criticized. In such a situation, Sachin’s post before the current tour of Australia has created a stir on social media.
This post of his soon went viral. Fans are commenting heavily on this. Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan also commented on the post and wrote that Steve Bucknor would have run miles away from the field in the era of DRS. The relationship between Sachin Tendulkar and umpire Steve Buckner is marked by two controversial incidents. Incidents during Test matches in 2003 and 2005 not only highlighted the decline in umpiring, but also sparked widespread criticism and debate.
The first of these incidents occurred in 2003 during a Test match between India and Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane. Tendulkar was given leg before wicket (LBW) off the bowling of Jason Gillespie. However, TV replays clearly showed that the ball would have gone over the stumps. It was clearly seen that the ball was high and Buckner’s decision to declare Sachin out had given rise to controversy. Sachin was playing an important innings then and this decision had put India in trouble. It was heavily criticized by fans and former cricketers.
The second incident occurred two years later in 2005 during a Test match between India and Pakistan at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Here Tendulkar was caught out on the ball of Abdul Razzaq. There was no contact between the ball and Tendulkar’s bat then. The ball went away from Tendulkar after pitching and replays confirmed that no edge was hit. At that time there was a lot of anger among the fans regarding Buckner. Apart from this, Buckner was involved in a lot of controversies during India’s tour of Australia in 2007-08. e
Australian captain Ricky Ponting came in at number three in the first innings during the Sydney Test in 2008 and got an early lease of life in his innings as he was caught by wicketkeeper MS Dhoni on the leg side. However, umpire Steve Buckner did not raise his finger. After this Ponting made a partnership of 92 runs with Michael Hussey. Then the second controversial moment of the first day came when Ishant Sharma got Symonds caught by Dhoni. However, umpire Buckner once again remained adamant and did not give out. During this test, one of his decisions regarding Sourav Ganguly had kept India away from victory. Clarke took one wicket in the second innings. However, it was clearly visible that the ball had hit his hands. Then Australian captain Ricky Ponting asked Mark Benson and Buckner to give them out and the umpire raised his finger.
These incidents had tarnished the image of Steve Buckner. He was even accused of deliberately giving wrong decisions. He umpired a record 128 Test matches and five consecutive Cricket World Cup finals, and is widely regarded as one of the best umpires of his time. However, these few high-profile blunders against Tendulkar often overshadowed his achievements. Buckner himself acknowledged these mistakes some time ago, expressed regret and acknowledged that they were big mistakes. Although these decisions have reduced significantly since the introduction of DRS, DRS also often remains controversial for many reasons.
