Former International cricket umpire Steve Bucknor admitted to ‘two mistakes’ in the controversial Sydney Test in 2008 between Australia and India that might have cost the visitors the game.

In a match which is remembered for its infamous for ‘monkey gate‘ spat between Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh, Bucknor admitted that even though mistakes happen, those two errors have haunted him since then.

In an interview to Midday, Bucknor said: “I made two mistakes in the Sydney Test in 2008. Mistake one, which happened when India were doing well, allowed an Australian batsman to get a hundred. Mistake two, on day five, might have cost India the game. But still, they are two mistakes over five days. Was I the first umpire to make two mistakes in a Test? Still, those two mistakes seem to have haunted me.”

With no DRS back then, Bucknor remained unmoved when Symonds, batting on 30, edged a delivery from Ishant Sharma. The second mistake could be a reference to Rahul Dravid’s wicket on the last day of the Test with replays confirming the ball had flicked his front knee roll on the way.

“You need to know why mistakes are made,” Bucknor said. “You don’t want to make similar mistakes again. I am not giving excuses but there are times when the wind is blowing down the pitch and the sound travels with the wind. The commentators hear the nick from the stump mic but the umpires may not be sure. These are things spectators won’t know.”

As a result of the umpiring error, Bucknor was removed from officiating the third Test in Perth by ICC. Bucknor, however, had a glorious career and reflected on his journey. “I stood in only four Tests and three ODIs before that [1992 World Cup],” Bucknor recalled. “And I was the only umpire from the Caribbean at that World Cup.

So I didn’t know if I was good enough to be there. During the tournament, I was told I was doing very well. The captains had good things to say. My aim was to be among the six umpires for the semi-finals. I would have been happy to even be a reserve umpire. I stood in the New Zealand versus Pakistan semi-final in Auckland. And after the match I was told, ‘Bucknor, you’re doing the final.’

“I remember in 1996, West Indies versus Australia in the semi-final. I was in Delhi and I left my hotel room when Australia were 15 for 4. I went down to the lobby and told them to book my tickets to Jamaica. I then packed my bags and got ready to leave the next morning. That night, West Indies lost. I was sad because I wanted West Indies in the final. But personally, I was happy. Once the game was over, I was told, ‘Bucknor, first flight out to Pakistan for the final.”

WATCH Australia vs India 2008 Test match:

WATCH : Top 10 Most Controversial Umpiring Decisions in Cricket History Including Sachin’s Run Out Against Pakistan

On this day three years ago, Harmanpreet Kaur played a knock for the ages as India beat Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final at Derby.

Harmanpreet’s hard-hitting 171* helped India score 281-4 in the first innings. In response, Australia were bundled out for 245.

India were in a decent position when Harmanpreet came into bat; however, they needed one big innings to provide the imepetus and set the foundations for a big target.

Harmanpreet would go on to do both with startling ease, hitting the Aussie bowlers all around the park. Her knock consisted of 20 fours and 7 sixes and she scored a strike-rate of 148.69.

💥 171* runs
💥 115 balls
💥 20 fours
💥 7 sixes#OnThisDay in 2017, Harmanpreet Kaur recorded the highest individual score by an Indian batter in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup! pic.twitter.com/hPMJu1ROyo

— ICC (@ICC) July 20, 2020

Scoreboard pressure was on Australia early and it showed. Openers Nicole Bolton (14) and Beth Mooney (1) departed cheaply. To make matters worse, skipper Meg Lanning was dismissed for a duck.

Ellyse Perry managed to score 38 but once she was dismissed, India sensed a chance at wrapping things up early.

Resistance eventually came in the form of Ellyse Villani (75) and Alex Blackwell (90) but Australia were losing wickets on a regular basis and the lack of big partnerships came back to haunt them.

Deepti Sharma (3-59) was the pick of the Indian bowlers. She was ably supported by Shikha Pandey (2-17) and Jhulan Goswami (2-35).

The knock was an eye-opener as well for fans who suddenly believed that India could actually do the unthinkable and bring home the trophy.

Harmanpreet Kaur BATTING Stats:

BOWLING Stats:

Also read: Indian Female Cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur Reveals her Favourite IPL Team via Tweet