Former international umpire Piloo Reporter dies at 84

Former international umpire Piloo Reporter passed away on September 3 at the age of 84 years. The veteran had a long and illustrious career as an official. He stood in 14 Tests and 22 ODIs in a career spanning 28 years. 

Reporter and another Indian umpire, V Ramaswamy, had the distinction of being the first pair of neutral umpires to officiate in a match since 1912, after they both were invited by former Pakistan captain Imran Khan to officiate a game between Pakistan and West Indies in 1986.

He was also an umpire at the 1992 World Cup. A legend in his field, Reporter started his career as an umpire in the Ranji Trophy before eventually making the move to international matches.

Reporter started his international umpiring career back in 1984 when he stood in alongside Dara Dotiwalla in the Delhi Test when England toured India. 

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar mourned Reporter's passing away. Gavaskar stated that Reporter was a brilliant umpire but also he was a terrific human being. "He was not only a fine umpire but also a terrific human being. Very sad news,” Gavaskar told the Times of India. 

Furthermore, Reporter was also handed an amount of INR 75000 by The Cricketers Foundation  as they honoured him for his services towards Indian cricket. 

Before his career as an umpire, he used to work at the Maharashtra State Electricity Board and became an umpire at the age of 22 when the BCA (Bombay Cricket Association) put up an advertisement for the post. After failing to clear the initial tests, Reporter officiated in a few local and domestic games before finally being roped in as an umpire for the Ranji Trophy followed by his debut as an international umpire.