The ICC has suspended the 5 match officials who officiated in the April 28 World Cup final that ended as a farce. These five officials, namely West Indian Steve Bucknor, Aleem Dar; the reserve umpires Rudi Koertzen and Billy Bowden, and the match referee, Jeff Crowe, have all been suspended for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup final in September.
Their actions led to the most farcical finish ever witnessed at a World Cup final. With Sri Lanka needing 63 runs from the final 18 deliveries of the match and with the light fading badly, these 5 officials concluded incorrectly that the Sri Lankans needed to come back the next day to finish the match. Now, this was when all of 33 overs had already been bowled (20 are enough to constitute a match) and the Sri Lankan captain had already conceded defeat. The correct decision by the officials would have been to declare the match finished, and award the championship to Australia. Instead, after discussion, the officials then allowed the Sri Lankans to face the supposedly remaining 3 overs against Australia's spinners in near pitch black conditions. The incredulous Kensington Oval crowd rightly booed the farce that unfolded before them.
The suspension of the five officials in our opinion, is certainly justified and deserved. However it will rob the Twenty20 tournament of 5 of the best officials in the world. Bucknor had officiated in 5 straight World Cup finals, while Bowden, Koetzer and Dar are some of the more respected umpires. However, their ridiculous decision on April 28 had sullied a game in which Adam Gilchrist hit a magnificent 104 ball 149 and in which Australia capped a dominant run throughout the tournament. Moreover it sullied their own reputations as umpires as unfortunately they will probably all be remembered for that fateful decision.
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