Former West Indies umpire Steve Bucknor has admitted that he made a mistake when he adjudged Sachin Tendulkar leg before wicket during the 2004 Gabba Test against Australia, a decision that continues to be discussed more than two decades later.
Speaking to the West Indies Cricket Umpires’ Association, the 79-year-old addressed the controversial call with rare candour.
“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. “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.”
The incident occurred during India’s 2003-04 tour of Australia in the Brisbane Test at the Gabba. Tendulkar, then at the peak of his powers, was dismissed for a three-ball duck.
Facing Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, Tendulkar shouldered arms to a delivery that pitched outside off stump and jagged back sharply. The ball struck him high on the pads, prompting a loud appeal from Gillespie, wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and the close-in fielders. Bucknor raised his finger almost immediately.
Replays suggested the ball was climbing and likely going over the stumps. In the commentary box, former captain Tony Greig described it as a “dreadful decision”. However, there was no Decision Review System in place at the time, and the verdict stood.
The dismissal became one of the defining flashpoints of the series, even though India went on to draw the 2003-04 contest 1-1, highlighted by Rahul Dravid’s heroics in Adelaide.
It was not the only contentious moment involving Bucknor and Tendulkar. In a subsequent India-Pakistan clash, Bucknor adjudged Tendulkar caught behind off Abdul Razzaq despite replays suggesting there was no edge, further fuelling debate.
Tendulkar responded to the controversies in his characteristic style. When once asked about Bucknor, he said with a smile, “When I am batting, give him boxing gloves to wear.”
Bucknor stood in more than 120 Tests and multiple World Cups, earning a reputation as one of the most experienced umpires of his era. His admission brings renewed focus to a moment that remains a reminder of cricket’s pre-DRS era, when an umpire’s decision was final.
