We May Not See Billy Bowden Umpire Anymore Here is Why Cricket Will Miss Him

Admin 18-Jun-2016 11:20:45 Inothernews

Oh have a look at Billy! He's got the crowd going! That was Ravi Shastri, in his now familiar voice, during an ODI between India and England. That Billy was none other than New Zealand umpire, Billy Bowden. Star batsmen get the crowd going with stylish cover drives and audacious shots. Star bowlers get the crowd going with yorkers, flippers and wrong 'uns. Even fielders can set the pulses racing with a catch plucked out of thin air. But never has an umpire had the camera focussed on him and had the attention of fans quite like Billy Bowden has. The flamboyant Kiwi, who amused fans and players alike over the years with his on-field antics, may have stood in his last international match after being dropped from New Zealand Cricket's international panel. The 53-year-old Bowden, who officiated in 84 tests and 200 one-day internationals over 21 years, was known for his eccentric signals, especially the crooked finger with which he indicated dismissals. Bowden, for the record, insisted he couldn't extend the finger because of arthritis. He was dropped from the International Cricket Council's elite panel in 2013, returned in 2014 but was omitted again after umpiring the test between the West Indies and England in Barbados in May, 2015. Bowden umpired his 200th one-day international when New Zealand played Australia in Wellington in February. As it looks like we won't get to see Billy Bowden entertain us on the cricket pitch again, let's look back at some of the most amusing things the Kiwi has done on a cricket field.



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