David Shepherd (umpire)
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| David Shepherd | ||
|---|---|---|
| Born | December 27, 1940 (age 66) Bideford, Devon, England |
|
| Nationality | English | |
| Nickname(s) | Shep | |
| Tests Umpired | 92 | |
| Years | 1985-2005 | |
| ODIs Umpired | 172 | |
| Years | 1983-2005 | |
David Robert Shepherd MBE (born 27 December 1940 in Bideford, Devon, England) is one of the cricket world's best-known umpires. He stood in 92 Test matches, the last of them in June 2005, and officiated in three World Cup finals.
[edit] Playing Career
Shepherd had a reasonably successful, though late-starting, first class playing career for Gloucestershire, stretching from 1965 to 1979, and though he never came close to international selection he was popular both with his team-mates and the Gloucestershire supporters. He started with a bang, scoring 108 on debut against Oxford University, and made eleven more hundreds over the years, though only twice (in 1969 and 1975) did he average over 30. Never the slimmest of men even in his younger days, he relied more on his fine shot placement than speed across the ground, and his bowling was almost non-existent: he took only two wickets in his entire career.
[edit] Umpiring
In 1981, Shepherd began his second career in cricket, and the one which was to make him world-famous, when he was appointed as a first-class umpire. Quickly recognised as being one of the fairest-minded and most able officials in the game, within two years he was part of the umpiring panel for the 1983 World Cup, and within four he was standing in his first Test: the fourth Test of the 1985 Ashes series at Old Trafford. Standing with him in this test was Dickie Bird.
From then on, Shepherd became a fixture on the international scene, his rotund figure instantly recognisable by players and spectators alike. Perhaps his most famous quirk was his habit of lifting one foot off the ground whenever the score reached 111, or multiples thereof, they being regarded as unlucky by Shepherd in a ritual dating back to his childhood cricket team days. The number 111 is known as "Nelson" [1], and is considered unlucky by many cricketers.
He was part of the ICC's first panel of neutral umpires when this policy was adopted for international cricket in the 1990s, and retained his place unbroken until his retirement from umpiring in 2005.
As his retirement loomed, Shepherd was lauded wherever he went. He was given a guard of honour by the New Zealand and Australian teams during the series between the two countries in March 2005; and after his last Test, that between West Indies and Pakistan at Kingston, Jamaica in early June, Shepherd was presented with a bat by West Indian captain Brian Lara.
Shepherd was awarded the MBE for services to cricket in 1987, and he became the President of his home county club Devon in 2006.
