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Time to go, says Bucknor's old mate

"Before they decide to withdraw him from the third Test,

I think he should quit," says umpire A V Jayprakash about

Steve Bucknor, his partner during his first international match

in 1997, in the wake of his wrong decisions in India's second

Test against Australia.
Bucknor was also on field in Jayaprakash's most famous game

at Kotla, when Kumble got a perfect 10. And as fate would have

it, Jayaprakash was the TV umpire during Bucknor's 100th Test

in 2005 at Eden Gardens.
"When players stop enjoying your umpiring, one should call it quits.

I did the same. My only fear is, in case Bucknor is pulled out of the

Perth Test, he will always be remembered for the mistakes

he made in Sydney. All those early years when he made a reputation

for himself as a top cricket umpire will go down the drain," says

58-year-old Jayaprakash about 61-year-old Bucknor.
While there have been several instances of Bucknor's errors

going repeatedly against the Indians, Jayaprakash vividly

remembers the senior umpire's forgettable Test involving Pakistan

at Eden Gardens.
Jayaprakash was the TV umpire in that game of the 2005 series.

As light faded at the end of Day 3, Sachin Tendulkar was given

caught behind off Abdul Razzaq. The ball seemed to have missed

the bat by some margin.
"In the last few years, because of his age, he has made quite a few

mistakes," says Jayaprakash. But he is quick to add that the

West Indian wasn't quite anti-India. "I have seen the era when the

Indian crowds used to love him. He was a star all over the world."