Cricket Bloopers: When Umpires Stole the Show with Funny Moments Caught on Camera

In this blog, we will be exploring the moments when umpires made the players and fans laugh. From dodging the balls to protect themselves to realising that they should not give the out decision, cricket has seen some serious umpiring failures over the past few years. Let’s take a look at some of the most memorable umpiring failures in the sport.

Ishan Kishan’s Wicket or a Gift?

Ishan Kishan, who played in IPL 2025 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, faced his previous team Mumbai Indians, in a match. The match was expected to be a showdown for the Mumbai Indians to make them realise what they have lost, but it ended another way. In a delivery against Deepak Chahar, Ishan Kishan attempted to play it, but the ball missed the bat.

However, the on-field umpire had seen it from a completely different angle, as he signalled out on the same. And Ishan Kishan didn’t even review the wicket, despite knowing the fact that he was not out. The moment when the umpire was about to signal out, but none of MI’s players had appealed, still comes as one of the hilarious fails by the umpires in the game.

At first, the umpire seemed to signal a wide, but as soon as he spotted Ishan Kishan walking off the crease, he changed his decision immediately and started to signal for out. Deepak Chahar stood there after watching the umpire signal for an out on a wide delivery. When Ishan Kishan walked back, Hardik Pandya patted him on his head, and the reason behind it remains a mystery.

Nose Scratch Confuses Rashid

Rashid Khan, also known as one of the finest spinners in T20 cricket, has confused a lot of batsmen with his spin deliveries. But on one occasion, he got confused by the umpire, which sounds a bit funny, right? This incident took place in the Big Bash League, where Melbourne Renegades and Adelaide Strikers went against each other.

👃 Greg Davidson with a bit of an itchy schnoz at Marvel Stadium #nosegate #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/m3M772Atox

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 29, 2019

When the Melbourne Renegades were chasing the target, a hilarious incident took place between the on-field umpire and Rashid Khan. During the 17th over, Rashid Khan bowled a delivery that struck the pads of Beau Webster. As usual, the players started to appeal for an LBW, and the umpire, Greg Davidson, was taking a close look at the same.

He started to raise his fingers, which made Rashid Khan sure that he had taken the wicket, and he started celebrating. However, things changed when the umpire suddenly realised that it may not be out and started scratching his nose on the field. The moment itself was so funny that even the official Twitter handle of the Big Bash League posted about the same.

Umpire Fakes a Run Out

In cricket, the batsmen always remain in a hurry to complete their run before the ball reaches the fielder. However, who knew there would be an umpire who could run out the batsmen if the ball was in his hands? This incident has taken place with one of the most well-known umpires in cricket, Aleem Dar.

During the third Test between Australia and England in the 2011 Ashes, which was played in Sydney, Aleem Dar showcased his funny side to the game. In his run-up, the bowler lost the ball, and Dar took this as an opportunity to create a hilarious moment for the fans and players.

He picked up the ball and pretended to run out the batsman Matt Prior, which acted as a funny moment. When the bails were sent off by Aleem Dar, all the players on the field couldn’t hold their laughter, and Matt Prior also stood frozen, waiting for Dar to end the moment. This moment showcased that even the umpires could break character in the matches.

Kettleborough Shows Love for Kohli

The ICC World Cup 2023 was filled with a lot of hilarious moments, and one of them even involved the umpire, Richard Kettleborough. Known for his professionalism in the game, Kettleborough also knows how to maintain the game spirit, and it was equally seen in the match between India and Bangladesh.

Virat Kohli was standing at the brink of his century, and the target was also just 2 runs away. At this moment, Nasum Ahmed bowled a wide delivery, which could be called an intentional wide. Just when the fans thought they wouldn’t be able to watch Kohli score a century in this game, Richard Kettleborough turned things upside down as he didn’t signal the wide.

Instead, Kettleborough was seen smiling on the camera, which allowed Nasum to bowl another delivery when Kohli finished the match with a six and even completed his century. When Kettleborough didn’t signal the wide delivery, the Indian locker room was spotted in laughter by players such as Rohit Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav.

Celebration Knocks Down Umpire

Scoring a century remains a remarkable milestone for every batsman, and it becomes even more legendary if scored in the World Cup. This happened with Jason Roy, the former English opener, when he scored a century in the 2019 World Cup match against Bangladesh.

Jason Roy completed his century in the match, and just when he was running for his celebration, he bumped into the umpire. As a result, the on-field umpire fell down, and Roy was spotted immediately picking up the umpire Joel Wilson. The collision happened when Roy was taking a run, and the umpire stepped back to take up his spot if any run out took place.

But no one expected that celebrating a century would be so heavy for Jason Roy, as a moment of celebration turned into a moment of laughter. At this moment, fans also got to take a look at the funny side of Joel Wilson, who is often seen as a serious umpire on the cricket field.

Bowden’s Slow-Mo Out Decision

Talking about the funniest umpire moments spotted in cricket and Billy Bowden won’t be a part of it, surely remains impossible. Bowden has been one of the most hilarious umpires in cricket, known for his signals, whether it is giving a six with his crooked fingers or signalling a four while dancing on the ground.

In a match between West Indies and Australia, Billy Bowden had a hilarious incident that trolled the players of both teams. Mitchell Johnson bowled a full-length delivery to Deonarine Smith, which struck his pads, and Johnson appealed for the same. At this time, Bowden didn’t signal out and moved to the side of the stumps, watching Smith come for a single.

But just when Deonarine Smith completed his single, Bowden returned to his place and signalled out, making it one of the funniest decisions taken by the umpire. Some fans also say that he trolled Mitchell Johnson at first, then decided to troll Deonarine Smith by giving the decision after he completed the run.

Bowden Pulls Out the Red Card

A Red card being shown to a bowler in cricket seems unreal, right? But this incident took place in a match involving Australia, where the umpire, Billy Bowden, pulled out the ultimate Red card for the Australian bowlers. After Trevor Chappell bowled an underarm delivery, it was declared illegal by the ICC.

In a match, Glenn McGrath attempted to bowl an underarm delivery, but Billy Bowden was quick enough to watch him attempt the same. He stepped up and stopped McGrath from bowling an underarm delivery. This incident became funny when Bowden pulled a red card out of his pocket and showed it to McGrath.

It came as a hilarious moment, as McGrath also shrugged his shoulders in disappointment, while he was indulged in this act of Billy Bowden. Even the commentators and players on the field could not hold their laughter, watching a cricket umpire pull off a red card in a match.