Umpire Ian Gould stands in his 50th Test

Ian Gould of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires became the 12th umpire to complete a half-century of Tests when he took to the field for the first Test between the West Indies and India in Antigua on Thursday.

To celebrate the occasion, former West Indies captain and ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Courtney Walsh presented Gould a memento before the start of the match. Also present on the occasion was his fellow on-field umpire Aleem Dar, match referee Ranjan Madugalle, both from the elite panel, as well as West Indies team manager and ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Joel Garner.

Gould, who kept wickets for England in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1983, made his Test debut in Bloemfontein in November 2008 by umpiring in the South Africa versus Bangladesh Test. Earlier in June 2006, he had made his ODI and T20I debut during the series between England and Sri Lanka.

Gould, who was promoted to the elite panel in March 2009, has also officiated in the ICC Cricket World Cups 2007, 2011 and 2015, ICC Champions Trophy 2009 and 2013 as well as ICC World Twenty20 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Reflecting on his achievement, Gould said: “Over 480 umpires have officiated in Tests to date but only 12 have been successful in reaching 50. This is a stat that gives me tremendous satisfaction because I have been successful in maintaining the required and expected standards.

“The reality is I would have never reached this position if there had been no support, guidance and cooperation from a number of people, both within and outside the sport. I feel extremely humbled and privileged to have been given the opportunity to work in the sport I love and alongside some of the finest professionals who have been my mentors, role models and inspiration.

“I thank all my fellow match officials and colleagues within the ICC and Member countries for making this journey a memorable one for me.”

Adrian Griffith, ICC’s Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees, congratulated Gould on achieving the milestone. “On behalf of the ICC, I want to congratulate Ian for reaching this significant milestone.

“Ian’s knowledge about the game, excellent decision-making, on-field man management skills and friendly attitude has made him one of the most popular and recognisable faces in our sport. We wish him well and hope that he will continue to go from strength to strength.”

List of umpires who have officiated in 50 or more Tests:

Umpire Period Tests

Steve Bucknor 1989-2009 128

Rudi Koertzen 1992-2010 108

Aleem Dar 2003- to date 104

Daryl Harper 1998-2011 95

David Shepherd 1985-2005 92

Billy Bowden 2000-2015 84

Darrell Hair 1992-2008 78

Simon Taufel 2000-2012 74

S Venkataraghavan 1993-2004 73

Dickie Bird 1973-1996 66

Steve Davis 1997-2015 57

Ian Gould 2008- to date 50