Umpire Billy Bowden changes his mind mid-decision in Twenty20 match

Brent Fraser “Billy Bowden” is one of the most entertaining cricketing umpires of all time. Making his international umpiring debut way back in 1995 Bowden continued to be one of the most popular umpires till very recently before he was removed from the elite panel of umpires in 2015. Bowden was a player before he started suffering from rheumatoid arthritis which forced him to quit cricket and take up umpiring.

He is well known for his unique signalling styles with the most famous being raising the crooked finger to signal out. Suffering from rheumatoid arthritis it was extremely painful for Bowden to raise a straight index finger so came the “crooked finger of doom”.

In March 1995 he appeared in his first ODI before appearing in his first Test five years later in 2000. He was included in the Emirates Panel of International Umpires in 2002 and went on to entertain the cricketers, audiences and one and all for many more years.

For people who missed Bowden and his unique umpiring style, it was perhaps the appropriate time for the most popular and eccentric cricketing umpires of all time to make another unique statement two days prior to the holiday season. This time though he was not officiating in an international match but New Zealand’s domestic T20 league The Super Smash.

The former elite panel umpire was just about to raise his crooked figure when Knights wicketkeeper Tim Seifert appealed for a caught behind decision on Stags foreign recruit Mahela Jayawardene when he slashed at a wide delivery from Scott Kuggeleijn but the arm kept rising and Bowden decided the next best thing to do other than giving him out was to adjust his hat and he did just that. Though the players concerned was not too bothered about it but the commentary panel totally enjoyed Bowden’s change of mind at the last second.

Kuggelijn who was the bowler missed the moment as he was looking in the direction of the batsman. “My head’s going all over the place when I’m bowling, so I don’t notice much,” the Knights paceman was all smiles after his side’s 10 run win. He did concede that he didn’t hear any nick and it was perhaps the right decision made in the end. “Nah, I didn’t hear anything,” Kuggeleijn concluded.

Watch the video here:

What the hell was Billy Bowden up to last night? #SuperSmash #KnightsvStags pic.twitter.com/Zx6UjVyCgS

— #TheACCnz (@TheACCnz) December 23, 2016