In a cricket match the umpire is the person with the highest authority in the ground as he makes all the decisions and maintains decorum and discipline during the match. So ,the role of the umpire is very important but the umpires only come to notice when something wrong happens and that is not right.
There have been many umpires who have officiated a lot of ODIs during their illustrious career so it would be interesting to see which are the umpires who hold the record for standing in the most number of matches.
1. Aleem Dar (211 Matches):
This umpire from Pakistan holds the record for officiating the most number of matches as an umpire in ODIs with 211 matches to his name. He started umpiring in the year 2000 and for 20 years he has officiated in the highest levels of the game with his biggest match as an umpire being the 2011 World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka in Mumbai. He is also one of the most respected umpires in the circuit. Hope more umpires from Pakistan come out after his career gets over.
Also Read | Name of Different fielding positions in Cricket
2. Rudolf Koertzen (209 Matches):
He was an umpire from South Africa and he started his umpiring career in 1992 and continued till the year 2010. He officiated in 209 matches and many World Cup matches as well. He was an outstanding umpire and all the players respected him immensely. His contributions to the game will not be forgotten and he will always be a legend. More young umpires from South Africa have come up the ranks taking inspiration from him
3. Billy Bowden (200 Matches):
It can be said without a shadow of a doubt that he was one of the most popular umpires that the game of cricket has ever seen . His umpiring style was very different from the other umpires and he made the players as well as the viewers laugh a lot of times. He was a very respected umpire as well who officiated in 200 ODIs. His style of giving out ,and his way of signaling a four and a six will never be forgotten. The entire cricketing freternity misses him deeply.
Also Read | Different types of Bowling in Cricket
4. Steve Bucknor (182 Matches):
He was one of the most controversial umpires that has ever been in the game of cricket. Some decisions of his confused the batters as to how he gave them out and some the bowling team was confused, but still he was very respected as more often than not he was right. Umpires from the West Indies is not a common thing and nowadays a few young umpires from the West Indies have come up following his path.
5. Daryl Harper (176 Matches):
He was an umpire from Australia who officiated in 176 ODIs between 1994-2011. He officiated in World Cup matches as well and he was a well like and a respected umpire who followed discipline on the field. He inspired the next generation of Aussie umpires who have come through the ranks and his services and contributions won’t be forgotten.
