International Cricket Council (ICC) Elite Panel of Umpires member Rod Tucker has set a new record for the number of on-field Test Match appointments by an Australian umpire. Tucker is currently standing on-field in his 96th Test Match for the First Test between Pakistan and South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Tucker overtook Daryl Harper’s tally of 95 Test Matches which has stood since 2011. The pair stood together in four Test Matches in 2010 with Tucker at the start of his international career, and Harper approaching the end.
As a player, Tucker played 103 First-Class and 65 List-A matches for New South Wales, Tasmania, the ACT and Australian XI’s. He made 5,076 runs at an average of 36.25 (including 7 centuries and a highest score of 165) at First-Class level, and a further 1,255 runs at an average of 24.13 at List-A level. He took 123 wickets at First-Class level and a further 69 wickets at an average of 28.72 at List-A level.
Tucker joined the New South Wales Cricket Umpires & Scorers’ Association in the early 2000’s and commenced his umpiring career. He was soon appointed to Cricket Australia competitions standing in Under 19 National Championship and State Second XI matches. Tucker made his List-A umpiring debut in February 2004 and his First-Class umpiring debut in December 2004. He was elevated to the Cricket Australia National Umpiring Panel for the 2005-06 season. Tucker stood on-field in two Australian First-Class Domestic Finals, 2005-07 and 2007-08.
Tucker made his T20 International and One Day International umpiring debuts within a week of each other in January 2009. His T20 International debut came when Australia played South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, whilst his One Day International debut came a week later when the same two teams played at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Tucker has gone on to stand in 107 One Day Internationals and 58 T20 Internationals (including the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup Final).
Tucker was appointed to the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires in 2010. In February 2010, Tucker stood on-field in his first Test Match when New Zealand played Bangladesh in Hamilton, New Zealand. As a TV Umpire, Tucker has 41 Test Matches, 71 One Day Internationals (including the 2019 World Cup Final), and 26 T20 Internationals (including the 2014 T20 World Cup Final) to his name.
Tucker is now also placed fourth on the list of Test Matches behind Aleem Dar of Pakistan, Steve Bucknor of the West Indies and Rudi Koertzen of South Africa.
Top 5 Australian Test Match Umpires
96 - Rod Tucker
95 - Daryl Harper
78 - Daryl Hair
75 - Paul Reiffel
74 - Simon Taufel