Steve Bucknor regrets giving Sachin Tendulkar out 22 years ago
More than two decades after making the controversial dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar, legendary umpire Steve Bucknor has admitted that “it was a mistake.”
Bucknor, who retired in 2009, was one of the most respected umpires in world cricket for over two decades.
However, one of his most talked-about decisions remains the leg-before-wicket decision against Tendulkar during the India versus Australia Test at Brisbane in 2004.
“Giving Sachin Tendulkar out leg-before-wicket, and it’s a matter of knowing that it was a mistake, but until this day, every day, people talk about it,” Bucknor said in an interview with the West Indies Cricket Umpires’ Association.
“Why did I give him out? Was he out and so on? But then in life, mistakes happen. I have accepted that it was a mistake, and life goes on.”
Tendulkar was dismissed off a delivery from Australian pacer Jason Gillespie, with the ball hitting the batter’s pads during his attempt to leave the ball. Television replays later confirmed that the ball was clearly going over the stumps.
In the commentary box, the late Tony Greig had referred to it as “a dreadful” decision, and he was not the only one who thought that way at the time.
The match, the first of a four-match series, in which India skipper Sourav Ganguly struck a fluent 144, ended in a draw.
It was not the only instance when Bucknor’s decision against Tendulkar stirred up a controversy. In a match against Pakistan in Kolkata in 2005, the Jamaican adjudged Tendulkar caught-behind off Abdul Razzaq despite a half-hearted appeal.
Replays, however, showed a wide gap between the bat and the ball.
Bucknor, 79, officiated in 128 Test matches between 1989 and 2009 and also holds the record for standing in five consecutive World Cup finals from 1992 to 2007.
(with inputs from PTI)
Published on Feb 24, 2026
