Bucknor was replaced by Billy Bowden

The removal of the Jamaican represented a U-turn by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which initially said he would be retained.

The Indians had made a written complaint over his "incompetence" after losing the second test by 122 runs.

They have since won the third to trail 1-2 to Australia.

India tour to continue

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Andy Avers from London writes: ICC must stand behind its upms! They seem to always buckle under pressure and make the umps look bad. Perhaps, they should replace the people in charge, as they appear to lack resolve.!

Roger Roopchand from Georgetown, Guyana writes: The ICC has basically opened up a "can of worms". Any team now, once its dissatisfied with the umpire can protest. Then again, it was India with all the $$. If the West Indies were to protest, no one would give a damn. The ICC doesn't care about the game, its all about $$, and television rights, etc. Thats why Australia and India can get away with so many things of which other teams can only dream.

Colville Ferdinand from Augusta, Georgia: Personal integrity is one factor that is lacking in international cricket. I can think of many great players who would have walked prior to the umpires decision when they knew they were out. Shame on Symonds for not doing so as he later admitted that he did nick the ball. Human error is a factor in the game in its current form. The dismissal of Steve Bucknor for this has set a precedent that will result in the dismissal of many more umpires in the future. Hopefully the ICC would come to realize that if human error is unacceptable, technology has to play a greater role in the game.

Sue Whitlock of Forestiere, St Lucia, writes: I agree with Colville Ferdinand that personal integrity now seems to be lacking in cricket. It is no longer a gentlemen's game. This is very likely because of the huge sums of money now involved. Sure, supporters want to see 'their' team win, but they don't want to feel ashamed of the way they did it.

Karl Mayers from Brentford, England writes: Steve Bucknor makes mistakes but their are genuine mistakes. Age, excessive travel, excessive and continuous work on the circuit takes its toll on the concentration. But on watching what has been happening with the so-called elite umpires of the ICC, and the decisions being made, it is baffling. The West Indies team seem to come off worst, in the majority of the matches they play. Is it because they don't complain like other teams?. It is time the ICC employ or set up a school for decent and young umpires to officiate in the game of cricket.

Luke McIntosh of Kingston, Jamaica, writes: I think the ICC made the right decision. Ifelt gutted watching the second test India-Australia and saw the most blatant errors made by Bucknor. These errors should not be looked at in isolation, I remember a previous India-Austrlia tour when Bucknor mistakenly gave Tendulkar out on 3 separate ocassions at crucial stages of the game.I remember also a match in South Africa when Bucknor refused to consult the third umpire on a run out appeal on Jonty Rhodes, Bucknor ruled Jonty not out while TV replay showed he was out by a city block. Officials in other sports, Football and Basketball have been found to be fixing games for monetary rewards why think cricket is immune in the face of such blatant errors.

Ace Perone writes: I would like to say that I'm surprised by the decision of ICC, but I'm not. The decision to drop Steve Bucknor reflects the spineless approach of the grey suits on the ICC. For years, umpires have made mistakes, and those mistakes have turned matches one way or the other. And all of a sudden Bucknor mistakes are so grave he cannot stand for the rest of the series? I'll tell you what happened. Singh is called for calling Symmonds names. India refuse to play. To make it even, the ICC drag Hogg across the carpet and drop Bucknor. Who can then call the ICC racist, when they've acted against an Asian, and White and a Black man? Politics has again reared its ugly head in cricket!

At 61 years old, the time has come for Mr. Bucknor to retire. Those mistakes he made in Sydney cost India the game. If you look back, you would see that it's not the first time that he has made wrong decisions. The Indians have always suffered under Bucknor. Remember the lbw decision against Tendulkar some years ago. They were playing the same Australians.
Adesh Mahabir
Chaguanas, Trinidad

This recent incident shows lack of leadership from the ICC as well as arrogance from certain national cricket boards.However more importantly, lack of planning. Should umpires over 60 years old really still be in the game?? I don't think so. I think the effect of aging is showing, and it has been fairly evident in other games as well, this game isn't just a one off.
Deane, Barbados

Daren Ward in St John's, Antigua, writes:
I am totally incensed by the decision of the ICC. Notwithstanding Steve Bucknor's age, which to me is a separate albeit valid issue, the ICC is simply pandering to Indian corporate interests. I read Mr. Malcolm Speed's explanation on the ICC site - I understand, but I remain unconvinced by his argument. As far as the Indian's are concerned, they need to grow up, cricket is a just a game. You win some - you loose some! Just ask the West Indies.

No form of discrimination should be allowed in any arena, be it race, nationality, age et al! For those calling for a mandatory retirement age for umpires, your argument does not stand up to critical analysis!
Umpires should be removed, in my view, only if there is a clear pattern of incompetence, over a reasonable span of time; not because of age. Many umpires retain their mental acumen well past 60, 65 or what have you. It would be grossly unfair and unwise to discard of them because of age when they are well able to perform optimally!
If Steve Bucknor had not had a bad game (vis-à-vis the Sydney Test), would anyone be talking age? As I recall, his partner, Mark Benson, also made several crucial mistakes in that acrimonious Test. What’s the argument in this case? Mark is 49. Should 45 be the mandatory retirement age for someone like him?
In my opinion, as long as an umpire is able to perform acceptably at the highest level, he should be allowed to continue until his abilities begin to show signs of decline or until he decides to call “Time” on his career! All forms of discrimination must be abhorred in society!
Ron Saywack in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Winston Raymond in St. George's, Grenada writes:
Steve Bucknor had a very poor game and the ICC did the right thing in dropping him. In fact, if Bucknor was honest with himself, he would have fined himself 50% of his match fee and suspend himself for four matches, at least.

The double standard for appointing umpires to officiate in test matches has been set. If countries are allowed to decide or have a say in the decision then the policy of neutral umpires has no credibility.
Malcolm Speed must be held accountable and replaced.
Adlai Regis
Castries, St. Lucia

I think that Mr Bucknor should retire because it is to stressful for a 61 year old man to concentrate and see what's going on in the middle for 5 days, 6 hours per day. I also think there should be a retirement age for umpires.
Felix Eastman
St. Croix, USVI

I have been a cricket fan all of my life. In my 18 years of watching and playing cricket, both good and bad decisions have been made. I still am amazed with the swift move by the governing body to replace Steve. Cricket is a game that is umpired by humans. I know it is expected that elite umpires perform to an optimum but many times I have seen worse decisions other than this go under the mat. Former umpire David Shepherd made a bad decision by judging Ridley Jacobs out caught behind when the ball clearly struck him on his elbow in the 2003 test series between West Indies and Australia in Antigua. That is just one of the many. Umpiring is never an easy job since there is the unwanted pressure applied by the players and spectators in matches and also but the governing body, ICC. I personally think that umpires shouldn't be under fire. If they want such perfect decision, why don't they just use the available technology and not umpires? This is outrageous.
Leon Jr. Stevens
St. John's, Antigua

I second the cogent comments of Ron Saywack.
Filip Obrien
Durban, South Africa

Who said cricket is a gentleman's game? Certainly not the Indians. The ICC seems to be only a governing body not for the administration of rules and laws but for accommodating the big power brokers in cricket. Money talks and rule while regulation slips by.
Almond Davis
St Andrew, Jamaica

It is patently wrong for the ICC to remove an umpire because of the emotional protestation (or perceived injustice) of any country or player.
The laws of cricket clearly state that an umpire's decision is final! It is also universally acknowledged that umpires are not infallible and will make mistakes.
Under intense pressure, particularly near the end of a long day or a long game, umpires' concentration levels tend to drop.
It is important for all cricket umpires and captains to regularly keep apprised of the Preamble of the Laws of the cricket which effectively summaries the spirit and essence of the Game!
The ICC has now opened a Pandora's Box it wished it never did. They have set an egregious precedent for which they will rue for many years to come, whilst demonstrating patent weakness in the process!
One must not forget that the controversy swirling about the Sydney Test was not primarily about bad umpires' decision, but about the allegation of Harbhajan Singh calling Andrew Symonds a monkey.
The ICC will undoubtedly face increasing pressure in the years ahead because of their unfathomable imprudence in capitulating, once again, under pressure on the heels of the Oval debacle with Pakistan.
Ron Saywack
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Of all the ICC panel umpires Bucknor is the fairest. His decisions are not subconsciously biased. They are genuine mistakes. You have to think of his age: no man of 61 should be standing in a match for 6 hours over five days. But all the other umpires on the so-called ICC elite panel are incompetent men in employment trying to please their paymasters [THE ICC].All umpiring decisions in modern day cricket seem to favour the richer nations. Notice the West Indies cricket team has been the brunt of the majority of biased umpiring decisions.
Karl Mayers
Brentford, London

Billy Bowden should refuse to stand in the Test as a protest at the dropping of his colleague Steve Bucknor.
No team should dictate to the ICC when it comes to deciding who should officiate in the Tests. But we all know that the guardians of the game (the ICC) are weak. Remember how they treated and abandoned Mr Hare at the Oval? And another of their weak pawns is Mr Billy Bowden.
Cliff Anderson
Birmingham, UK

All incompetent umpires and match referees should be retired forthwith. This (in addition to the reduction of the amount of international cricket) is a pre-requisite to restoring the game to its glory.
ICC should not remove an umpire at the request of any team or teams. This is a precedent for more monkey-business in the game.
Technology MUST be further implemented. Currently the ICC spends long minutes verifying if a player's body has crossed the boundary with the ball in-hand to determine if an additional run is indicated. It must be obvious to the "blind" that a wicket is of significantly more important (in almost cases) than a run...so what crass stupidity to resist further use of technology on the field when at the same time we all can see the truth via the TV replays.
Destructive and asinine; the ICC approach.
Horace Gopeesingh
Calgary, Alberta,Canada

This is not a simple one-off incident. It is a society flexing its muscles. The Indian sub-continent is aware that it pays over 75 per cent of cricketing costs and is determined to show who is the new boss.
What West Indies officials should do, but won't, is demand that Steve Bucknor is not forced in to a premature retirement. We should also demand that all cricketing nations are treated equally. If the ICC does not play ball then remove India from our cricketing calendar.
Johnny Weismuller
Caribbean

This is definitely poor leadership on the part of the ICC and a sad day for Cricket. They should be ashamed of themselves for showing that again they are "balls less". Having to stand for hours in the hot sun with a couple of seconds to decide an lbw decision, a no ball or even a straight forward catch is no easy feat. In cricket, you get some decisions in your favour or you don't but that is cricket as we know it. The umpire's decision should be final and the ICC should stand by their umpires. Are they going to change an umpire everytime someone or a team files a complaint. I have seen so many decisions go against the West Indies even when we are down and out and we took it with a smile. Every team should start behaving like the Indians and Pakistanis and we will see what will become of the game of cricket.
Maverick
St. George's, Grenada

I am an umpire. He shoulda(have) quit after the World Cup: bad call on 1 team only. Benson make a bad call on Ponting caught behind. You have to know when to quit.
Albert Ramcharran
Toronto, Canada

It's a shame how India has been behaving with the issues surrounding the Sydney test. Had they drawn the game or won, Bucknor would not have even been remembered in the huge celebrations: drawing with the Aussies is just as good as winning. India comes over like cry-babies to some really bad bullying. The Indian cricket team is not half as good as they are marketed. Anyone with an iota of cricket sense would realize that this series between them and the Aussies was a marketing stunt. They would have been beaten miserably.
Both Symonds and Harbajan should have been disciplines for fairness and justice. But the dropping of Steve Bucknor is another matter which is unjust and unfair. It speaks of financial bullyism by India and the weakness of the ICC. Indian Cricket Administration has exposed the hypocrisy of the ICC which is only after revenues and profits....to hell with the game, false principles rules. Any bets that Harbajan would be found not guilty on appeal? There is one lesson for the West Indies cricket administrators in this: every time we loose a test match, ask for a change of umpires because we get our fair share of bad decisions too.
Evan Thomas
Toronto, Canada

I am very disappointed in the decision of the ICC. This sends a bad signal to players, officials and teams. While I admit that Steve had a "poor game" based on his standards, players have to understand that officials are human and are prone to make mistakes. The ICC should have rejected India's claim and stayed with Umpire Bucknor. As an international sports official myself, I am disgusted and disappointed at their decision to replace Steve.
Carlisle Jno Baptiste
Roseau, Dominica

(Money)calls the shots in cricket. The $$$ wins all the time. The ICC remembers how the early exit of India and Pakistan from the World Cup affected the bottom line.
Albert Edwards
Portmore, Jamaica

The Mr. Bucknor is a very honest umpire. I don’t think so that he did it. It’s completley wrong.
Rana Sami
Hafiz Aabad, PAKISTAN

The Test umpires are reluctant for the introduction of technology in decision making but in the case of a catch I think video technology will benefit umpires and minimise errors. Saying it is an honest mistake is not good enough. ICC needs to approve the use of technology for catches or more controversy is bound to occur. Giving a batsman out/not out is more important than using the technology to establish if the ball crossed the boundary line. Technology does not undermine the authority of the umpires. Please save our game of cricket from cheats.
windiesumpi
Leicester, England

Obviously it seems that the ICC's opinion is bigger than the game of cricket itself as apparently no other umpire has made an erroneous decision in the history of the game. Therefore what purpose does an umpire serve if he is open to err as he is human? All Bucknor did was take a player at his word.... and I thought cricket was a gentleman's. game.
Ian Glaze
Kingston, Jamaica

Leave Uncle Steve Alone!

They praised him to the max, they did
Yes, they loved our Mr.Bucknor
Gave him the kudos, yes they did
And heaped on tributes, honour…
They saw the`slips’, oh yes they did
Right here, they saw the blunder
And now after this 2nd Test
He’s no longer 'Stevie Wonder'!
Mark X