The fourth umpire (sometimes referred to as the reserve umpire [1] ), is a cricket umpire. For all international matches a fourth umpire is required to perform duties like bringing on the new ball, carrying drinks on to the field for the umpires, checking the batteries in the light meter, observing the pitch during the lunch and tea intervals to make sure there is no interference, [2] or bringing on new bails. [3] The fourth umpire will take over the third umpire duties if something happens to one of the on-field umpires, as the rules state the third umpire will take over on-field duties. [4]
For Test matches, the fourth umpire is appointed by the home side's Governing body from their nominees to the International Panel of ICC Umpires, [4] so has the same nationality as the home side.
In January 2021, in the third Test match between Australia and India, Australia's Claire Polosak became the first female to officiate in a men's Test match as fourth umpire. [5]
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at the international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings in which players have to play until they get all batsmen out; the match ends when all but one of the batsmen of the opposing team are out. It is scheduled to last for up to five days with 6 hours of play each day. A minimum of 90 overs are scheduled to be bowled per day making it the sport with the longest playing time. In the past, some Test matches had no time limit and were called Timeless Tests. The term "test match" was originally coined in 1861–62 but in a different context.
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make decisions about events on the cricket field according to the Laws of Cricket. Besides making decisions about legality of delivery, appeals for wickets and general conduct of the Game in a legal manner, the umpire also keeps a record of the deliveries and announces the completion of an over.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England, and South Africa. It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965 and adopted its current name in 1987. The ICC has its headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Laws of Cricket is a code that specifies the rules of the game of cricket worldwide. The earliest known code was drafted in 1744. Since 1788, the code has been owned and maintained by the private Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Lord's Cricket Ground, London. There are currently 42 Laws, which describe all aspects of how the game is to be played. MCC has re-coded the Laws six times, each with interim revisions that produce more than one edition. The most recent code, the seventh, was released in October 2017; its 3rd edition came into force on 1 October 2022.
The third umpire is an off-field umpire used in some cricket matches, particularly international matches. Their role is to make the final decision in questions referred to them by the two on-field umpires or the players.
Stephen Anthony Bucknor, OJ is a Jamaican former international cricket umpire.
Aleem Dar PP is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former first-class cricketer. He has been a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. Dar won the David Shepherd Trophy three years in a row from 2009 to 2011, after being nominated twice in 2005 and 2006. Aleem Dar, Marais Erasmus, Richard Kettleborough, Kumar Dharmasena and Simon Taufel were the only umpires to have received the award from its inception until 2017. Before becoming an umpire, Dar played first-class cricket as a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler for Allied Bank, Gujranwala, Lahore and Pakistan Railways teams.
Paul Ronald Reiffel is an Australian former cricketer who played in 35 Tests and 92 One Day Internationals (ODIs) from 1992 to 1999. He was part of Australia's victorious 1999 World Cup team. After retirement he became a first-class cricket umpire. He is currently a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.
Deshabandu Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kumar Dharmasena is a Sri Lankan cricket umpire and former international cricketer. He is a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and the first person to participate in an ICC Cricket World Cup final both as a player and an umpire. A right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler, Dharmasena was a member of the Sri Lankan side that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
Darrell Bruce Hair is an Australian former Test match cricket umpire, from New South Wales. He was on the International panel of umpires from 2002 to 2003, before he, along with fellow Australian Simon Taufel, and New Zealander Billy Bowden, was appointed to the ICC Elite umpire panel. After an ICC board meeting discussed his actions in a Test match between Pakistan and England in 2006 it was decided he should not umpire matches involving the Test playing nations. He was restored to the Elite Panel by the ICC on 12 March 2008 and stood in the England v New Zealand Tests at Old Trafford in May and Trent Bridge in June 2008.
Michael Andrew Gough is an English cricket umpire and former cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. As an international umpire, Gough is a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, representing the England and Wales Cricket Board.
In 2006, during the fourth day of the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at The Oval, umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove ruled that the Pakistani team had been involved in ball tampering. The Pakistani players refused to take the field after the tea break in protest of the decision. After waiting two more minutes the umpires removed the bails and declared England winners by forfeiture. This was the first such end to a Test match in more than 1,000 Tests.
Rodney James Tucker is an Australian cricket umpire, member of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel and officiates in international Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He was a cricketer who played briefly for New South Wales from 1985/86 to 1987/88, before moving to Tasmania where he played from 1987/88 to 1998/99. He was also vice-captain of Tasmania from 1991/92 until 1995/96. He briefly played as Captain/Coach for the Canberra Comets in the 1999/2000 season before retiring from cricket as a player.
Richard Allan Kettleborough is an English international cricket umpire, and former first-class cricketer who appeared in 33 first-class matches for Yorkshire and Middlesex. He was a left-handed top order batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. He attended Worksop College and was a member of the college cricket XI for a number of years.
Bruce Nicholas James Oxenford is an Australian former cricket umpire and a former cricketer. He has been an ICC international umpire since 2008, when he first umpired an ODI match. He went on to stand in his first Test match in 2010. On 26 September 2012, he was promoted to the ICC Elite Umpire Panel, the highest umpiring body in the game of cricket, replacing fellow Australian Simon Taufel, who retired from the panel to take up a newly created ICC supervisory and training position.
Ahsan Raza is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former cricketer. In November 2020, in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, he officiated in his 50th T20I match as an on-field umpire, becoming the first umpire to reach the milestone in T20I cricket.
Marais Erasmus is a South African former first-class cricketer who is currently serving as an international cricket umpire. He is a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and stands in matches in all three formats of international cricket – Test matches, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).
The Decision Review System (DRS), formerly known as the Umpire Decision Review System(UDRS), is a technology-based system used in cricket to assist the match officials in their decision-making. On-field umpires may choose to consult with the third umpire (known as an Umpire Review), and players may request that the third umpire consider a decision of the on-field umpires (known as a Player Review).
Claire Antonia Polosak is an Australian cricket umpire. Polosak is a school teacher by profession. She was one of the four female umpires named by the ICC to stand in matches in the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Reserve Umpire Paul Wilson.
6.3.2 The fourth umpire shall ensure that, prior to the start of play and during any intervals, only authorised staff, the ICC match officials, players, team coaches and authorised television personnel shall be allowed access to the pitch area.
Soon afterwards, fourth umpire Rob Bailey appeared armed with heavy bails to allow the game to continue as normal.
2.1.1.3 One (1) third umpire, who shall act as the emergency on-field umpire... 2.1.1.4 One (1) fourth umpire, who shall act as the emergency third umpire, appointed by the Home Board, from its nominees to the ICC International Panel of Umpires.