Brent Fraser "Billy" Bowden (born 11 April 1963) is a New Zealand cricket umpire and former cricketer. He was a player until rheumatoid arthritis forced him to retire. He is well known for his dramatic signaling style which includes the famous "crooked finger of doom" out signal.[1] On 6 February 2016, Bowden stood in his 200th One Day International match in the game between New Zealand and Australia in Wellington.[2]
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Brent Fraser Bowden |
| Born | 11 April 1963 Henderson, New Zealand |
| Role | Umpire |
| Umpiring information | |
| Tests umpired | 84 (2000–2015) |
| ODIs umpired | 200 (1995–2016) |
| T20Is umpired | 24 (2005–2016) |
| WTests umpired | 1 (1995) |
| WODIs umpired | 21 (1995–2021) |
| WT20Is umpired | 25 (2009–2020) |
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 21 December 2021 | |
Early life and career
editBowden was born in the Auckland suburb of Henderson.
In March 1995, Bowden officiated his first One Day International between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Hamilton. In March 2000 he was appointed his first Test match as an on-field umpire, and in 2002 he was included in the Emirates Panel of International Umpires. A year later he was asked to umpire at the Cricket World Cup in South Africa, and was chosen to be the fourth umpire in the final between Australia and India. Shortly after this he was duly promoted to the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, of which he was a member until 2013. He reprised his role as fourth umpire in the 2007 Cricket World Cup final[3] Bowden was involved in an incident at the 2006 Brisbane Ashes test while standing at the square leg fielding position, when knocked to the ground by a ball hit by Geraint Jones.[4]
He was selected as one of the twenty umpires to stand in matches during the 2015 Cricket World Cup.[5]
He was a member of the International Panel of Umpires and Referees until June 2016, when he was demoted to New Zealand's national panel.[6]
On 24 December 2020, he umpired the Dream 11 domestic T20 competition opening double-header between Wellington Firebirds and Auckland Aces as both men's and women's sides were both featured. In October 2023, Bowden become the first New Zealand umpire to officiate in 200 first-class matches.[7]
Rheumatoid arthritis and umpiring style
editSuffering from rheumatoid arthritis, it was too painful for Bowden to signal a batsman out in the conventional fashion,[8] with a straight index finger raised above the head, and this led to the "crooked finger of doom". He has also put his own slant on several other signals, including a "crumb-sweeping" wave of the arm to signal four, and the "double crooked finger six-phase hop" to signal a six. His signals are sedate in Tests, more flashy in ODIs and decidedly flamboyant in Twenty20. His behaviour has attracted him both fans and critics almost equally. Martin Crowe referred to him as Bozo the Clown,[8] and at least one commentator has said he should remember that cricket is for the players and fans, not for the umpires.[9] However, there was a suggestion that he needs to do the signals in the way he does because of his arthritis, as he needs to keep his body fluid.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Cricket's 'crooked finger of doom' marks arthritis
- ^ "Warner, Marsh ace Australia's 282 chase". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- ^ Malcolm Conn (2 May 2007). "Neutral umpires have failed". The Australian. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ "Quick Singles: Jones 1 Bowden 0". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
- ^ "ICC announces match officials for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015". ICC Cricket. 2 December 2014. Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ "Bowden cut from NZC international panel". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ "Bowden set for 200". NZC. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "Bowden breaks the mould". news.bbc.co.uk BBC. 20 August 2003. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
- ^ Malcolm Conn (5 January 2007). "Bumble Bowden should be humble". The Australian. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2008.