Umpires in cricket are a vital cog in the game, probably it cannot be described in words how important the role of umpiring is in cricket.
The cricket umpires are involved in each and every moment of the game, and their decisions influence the result of the match to a huge extent.
4 Types of Cricket Umpires – Explained
1 Straight Umpire (standing at bowler’s end)
2 Square Leg Umpire
3 Third Umpire
4 Fourth Umpire
Both the straight umpire and the square leg umpire are called ‘on-field umpires’ because they are seen right on the ground.
1 Straight Umpire
2 Square Leg Umpire
It is the umpire who is seen parallelly straight behind the batsman on strike. The primary role of the square leg umpire is to check the waist-high full-toss ball, above shoulder or above head high wide ball, and touch and go catches around him.
The straight umpire and the square leg umpire interchange their positions between them depending on the end in which they have decided to umpire mutually.
3 Third Umpire
The third umpire is the video assistant umpire who is not seen on the field. The task of the third umpire includes checking runouts and catch-outs when referred/ signaled by the on-field umpires, when a review is taken by the players, and also front foot no balls these days. The third umpire, thus with the help of technology, helps or assists the on-field umpires.
4 Fourth Umpire
The fourth umpire is the reserved umpire, meaning if an umpire falls ill or gets injured during the game, then the fourth umpire will replace him. The fourth umpire also plays a few meticulous roles like looking at the pitch conditions, keeping the collection of the balls that are/ can be used for the game, bringing drinks for the on-field umpires, and so on.
Apart from the four umpires in cricket, there is also a match referee who makes sure that all the rules and regulations of the game are being properly followed during the match and also that the game is played in a fair way with the proper code of conduct.
Following are the lists of most matches as cricket umpires in Test, ODI & T20 International:
1 Most matches as umpire in Test Cricket
Sl. No. | Umpire | Country | Span | Total Matches |
1 | Aleem Dar | Pakistan | 2003 – Present | 139 |
2 | Steve Bucknor | West Indies | 1989 – 2009 | 128 |
3 | Rudi Koertzen | South Africa | 1992 – 2010 | 108 |
4 | Daryl Harper | Australia | 1998 – 2011 | 95 |
5 | David Shepherd | England | 1985 – 2005 | 92 |
6 | Billy Bowden | New Zealand | 2000 – 2015 | 84 |
7 | Darrell Hair | Australia | 1992 – 2008 | 78 |
8 | Rod Tucker | Australia | 2010 – Present | 76 |
9 | Ian Gould | England | 2008 – 2019 | 74 |
10 | Richard Kettlebourough | England | 2010 – Present | 74 |
2 Most matches as an Umpire in ODI Cricket
Sl. No. | Umpire | Country | Span | Total Matches |
1 | Aleem Dar | Pakistan | 2000 – Present | 216 |
2 | Rudi Koertzen | South Africa | 1992 – 2010 | 209 |
3 | Billy Bowden | New Zealand | 1995 – 2016 | 200 |
4 | Steve Bucknor | West Indies | 1989 – 2009 | 181 |
5 | Daryl Harper | Australia | 1994 – 2011 | 174 |
6 | Simon Taufel | Australia | 1999 – 2012 | 174 |
7 | David Shepherd | England | 1983 – 2005 | 172 |
8 | Russell Tiffin | Zimbabwe | 1992 – 2018 | 154 |
9 | Ian Gould | England | 2006 – 2019 | 140 |
10 | Darrell Hair | Australia | 1991 – 2008 | 139 |
3 Most matches as An Umpire in T20I cricket
Sl. No. | Umpire | Country | Span | Total Matches |
1 | Aleem Dar | Pakistan | 2009 – Present | 61 |
2 | Ahsan Raza | Pakistan | 2010 – Present | 60 |
3 | Buddhi Pradhan | Nepal | 2012 – Present | 47 |
4 | Rod Tucker | Australia | 2009 – Present | 46 |
5 | Adrian Holdstock | South Africa | 2011 – Present | 44 |
6 | Shaun George | South Africa | 2010 – 2021 | 42 |
7 | Chris Brown | New Zealand | 2017 – 2021 | 40 |
8 | Joel Wilson | West Indies | 2012 – Present | 39 |
9 | Gregory Brathwaite | West Indies | 2011 – 2021 | 38 |
10 | Sharfuddoula | Bangladesh | 2006 – 2016 | 38 |
4 Most Matches as an Umpire in international Cricket (In All 3 Formats)
Sl. No. | Umpire | Country | Span | Total Matches |
1 | Aleem Dar | Pakistan | 2000 – Present | 416 |
2 | Rudi Koertzen | South Africa | 1992 – 2010 | 331 |
3 | Steve Bucknor | West Indies | 1989 – 2009 | 309 |
4 | Billy Bowden | New Zealand | 1995 – 2016 | 308 |
5 | Simon Taufel | Australia | 1999 – 2012 | 282 |
6 | Daryl Harper | Australia | 1994 – 2011 | 279 |
7 | David Shepherd | England | 1983 – 2005 | 264 |
8 | Ian Gould | England | 2006 – 2019 | 251 |
9 | Kumar Dharmasena | Sri Lanka | 2009 – Present | 225 |
10 | Nigel Llong | England | 2005 – 2020 | 224 |
Umpiring in cricket is a very hectic job as everything happens in a flash and to take a correct decision on spot within seconds amidst thousands of people and given the power their decisions hold in a match, it requires tremendous skills, confidence and self belief and for this credit should go to all the umpires in cricket.