Former International Umpire David Shepeherd passed away yesterday after a long battle with Cancer. He was undoubtedly a true legend of the game, and along with Dickie Bird one of the best, fairest and most colourful officials to ever set foot on the cricket field. For 22 years, between 1983 and 2005, he remained one of the top umpires in the world, and in some ways can be considered the bridge between Dickie Bird's era and that of Steve Bucknor. All through this period one thing remained constant: he may have made a few wrong decisions, but unlike some illustrious colleagues like Steve Bucknor and Darrel Hair he was never accused of being biased. When a wrong decision was made cricketers could safely assume that it was a genuine mistake and not likely to be repeated. David Shepherd's popularity with the players and the crowds go beyond this. His jovial nature, along with some colourful quarks made him definitely the most watchable umpire of all times. What will be etched in the minds of his colleagues, his successors, the players, and us, the audience is the famous hopping in one leg when the score was 111 or its multiple. He definitely was the only umpire to acknowledge the cricketing lore about 'the nelson' so publicly. All I can say is: "Rest in Peace, Mr. Shepherd. We will never forget you."
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