The former umpire David Shepherd is no more with us. He passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was an umpire of the highest order. He was a character and no wonder everyone liked his company. The players, the spectators, his colleagues and just everyone loved him for his good sense of humor. His hopping act is one thing that none of us can forget. He used to stand one-legged when the score was on 111 considering it an unlucky number for the batting side. ‘Shep’ as he was dearly known, stood for 92 tests and 172 ODIs before he retired in 2005. He made his first appearance in the International arena during The Ashes test match in 1985 along with Dickie Bird.
David Shepherd was very much attached to his hometown Devon and he is rightly called “dyed-in the-wool Devonian”. We surely miss him and cherish those light moments on the field when that cute man won thousands of hearts standing one-legged.
