4. Billy Bowden
Brent Fraser Billy Bowden, who hails from New Zealand, was born on April 11, 1963, in Henderson. He was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in his twenties, which forced him to drop playing and take up umpiring to involve himself with the game. Billy Bowden officiated his first-ever game in March 1995, a One Day International between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Hamilton. In March 2000, he officiated his first test match between New Zealand and Australia in Auckland.
He is known for his unique signaling style, including the famous “Crooked finger of doom” out signal. His signature moves also included a sweeping action while slightly bent down to signal a four and a six signal that involved pointing towards the sky with both hands in a slow robotic style. In 2002, Billy was included in the Emirates International Panel of Umpires and was promoted to the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, and he was a part of it till 2013.
No one can forget the funny incident where Glenn McGrath was jokingly shown a red card by Billy Bowden for mocking an underarm delivery in the T20 match against New Zealand in 2005.
