 January
8, 2008: 61 year-old Steve Buchnor, has
been dropped by the ICC from the upcoming third Test between
India and Australia in Perth, following a series of
consequential errors in a tightly fought second Test at
Sydney.
The Indian board demanded that Bucknor be removed for the
third Test, which gets underway on January 16. On Monday,
the ICC had initially rejected the
demand; invoking the playing conditions that both
teams signed up to before the series, saying: "Neither team
has a right to object to an umpire's appointment." The
subsequent decision to remove the Jamaica born "elite"
umpire came on Tuesday.
Bucknor has stood in a 120 previous Tests, more than any
umpire in the game's history.
With one of their demands met, Indian officials are now
focused on the reversing a three-Test ban on Harbhajan
Singh. The ban was instated by referee Mike Procter, who
said he was sure "beyond reasonable doubt" that a racist
taunt had been directed at Andrew Symonds , by Singh
during the third day of the second Test It is
alleged that Singh called Symonds,
Australia's only black player, a monkey after Symonds
confronted him over touching fellow Australian player Brett
Lee. |
