Full name Brent Fraser Bowden
Born April 11, 1963, Henderson, Auckland
Current age 46 years 210 days
Other Umpire
| Test debut | New Zealand v Australia at Auckland, Mar 11-15, 2000 scorecard |
| Last Test | England v Australia at The Oval, Aug 20-23, 2009 scorecard |
| Test matches | 56 |
| Test statistics | |
| ODI debut | New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Hamilton, Mar 29, 1995 scorecard |
| Last ODI | Australia v England at Centurion, Oct 2, 2009 scorecard |
| ODI matches | 136 |
| ODI statistics | |
| T20I debut | New Zealand v Australia at Auckland, Feb 17, 2005 scorecard |
| Last T20I | Pakistan v South Africa at Nottingham, Jun 18, 2009 scorecard |
| T20I matches | 11 |
| T20I statistics |
Some eccentrics are born. Others thrust eccentricity upon themselves. Step forward, Brent "Billy" Bowden, the New Zealand umpiring sensation who shot to fame with a zany array of embellished signals and a preposterous eye for showmanship. Bowden turned to umpiring after the onset of arthritis in his early-twenties, and earned a reputation for giving batsmen out with a curiously bent finger. Suitably encouraged, he threw out the rule-book which states that the best cricket officials are the ones that go unnoticed, and added a whole host of whacky twists to his daily routine. The most celebrated of these is his hop-on-one-leg-and-reach-for-Jesus signal for six, and he seems pre-programmed to pose throughout a match, even when ducking for his life as a pull-shot rockets through square-leg. For all the embellishments, his decision-making skills are almost without equal among the ICC's elite panel, although in 2007 he was suspended from standing at that year's inaugural Twenty20 World Championships, following his role in the farcical conclusion of the World Cup final in Barbados.
Andrew Miller June 2007
- Doubt but out (Jan 7, 2009)
- Pull it KP, wake up Billy (Dec 11, 2008)
- Bowden replaces Rauf for first Test (Dec 7, 2008)
- Too close to call (Jul 22, 2008)
- 'The on-field umpire is in the best position' (May 27, 2008)
Sep 25, 2009
Billy Bowden calls Angelo Mathews back
© Getty Images
Mar 2, 2009
Billy Bowden reverses an lbw decision after a referral
© Getty Images
Mar 1, 2009
Ricky Ponting has a word with Billy Bowden
© Getty Images
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