100 Tests, a fifth ICC Cricket World Cup and a passion for football

On the verge of becoming the first umpire to stand in a century of Test matches, Emirates Elite Panel member Steve Bucknor has revealed his ambition to set another career landmark, by officiating in a fifth ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007.

When he takes the field in the second Test of the India - Pakistan series in Kolkata on Wednesday (16 March), Bucknor will break new ground by standing in his 100th Test match, almost 16 years since making his debut in the West Indies v India Test in Kingston, Jamaica.

"It means a lot to be the first umpire to reach this milestone of 100 matches because when I first started in the West Indies I never dreamed I could get anywhere near that figure. It's a tremendous feeling, but I also know that it will easily be achieved by the other younger umpires after me, with so much international cricket now being played," said Steve Bucknor.

Looking ahead to his century of Tests, Bucknor reveals that India-Pakistan games hold special memories; "The atmosphere has always been fantastic in these games and now that they are playing against each other again I know that it will be a very special game to be involved in," he says.

Ashes series have also provided many highlights for the 58 year-old Jamaican: "England v Australia Tests are always special. One game that stands out was the fourth Test in Melbourne in the 1998/99 series, when Australia were chasing about 170 to win on the fourth day and we played the extra half hour. Dean Headley took 6 wickets and England won by 13 runs, I think. It was a tremendous finish, I remember it well, but we were exhausted afterwards because we'd been standing for more than 8 hours in the day. It was a great game and a special memory that stands out."

Bucknor says that the biggest change in umpiring over his career is the greater scrutiny of decision-making by television analysis: "I think standards of umpiring are higher than they've ever been, but we're also under greater pressure and scrutiny than before. There was a time when we spoke about the benefit of the doubt, but that is now less prominent because of the influence of television. There's more pressure to make more decisions on things like LBWs on the front foot for example, where television replays can show a ball hitting the top of a stump but we can only go on our instincts as umpires."

Although he is non-committal about how much longer he intends to stand, Bucknor does have one major goal on his personal horizon: "I'm just trying to get to the World Cup in 2007," he says. "That would be the ultimate, to stand in a fifth World Cup in the Caribbean, where my career started. That would be tremendous."

Beyond his own career, Bucknor says he would enjoy working with other, younger umpires to assist their development in the game.

As the only official to have appeared in both cricket and football World Cups, Bucknor's passion for football is well-known. A Manchester United fan since the 1958 Munich air disaster, he is heavily involved in running and sponsoring local teams around his home in Montego Bay. So much so, that he is about to launch a football academy for 25 promising players that will bear his name; an attempt to stimulate flagging interest in the game among young Jamaicans.

Steve Bucknor fact file:

Date of Birth: 31 May 1946, Jamaica

First Test match: West Indies v India at Kingston, 4th Test, 1988/89
Latest Test match: South Africa v England at Centurion, 5th Test, 2004/05

He has officiated in four consecutive ICC Cricket World Cup finals.

Test Appearances: 99

Most Test matches as umpire: