17 Jun 2016

Bowden dumped from NZ international umpiring panel

6:43 am on 17 June 2016

Veteran cricket umpire Billy Bowden, famous for his quirky signals including raising a crooked finger to signal a dismissal, has been dropped from New Zealand's international panel of officials.

New Zealand cricket umpire Billy Bowden signals a six.

New Zealand cricket umpire Billy Bowden signals a six. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The 53-year-old has officiated 84 test matches, 200 one-day internationals and 24 Twenty20 internationals in a career spanning 21 years.

Bowden was previously dropped from the International Cricket Council's elite panel in 2013, reinstated a year later, only to be omitted again last year.

He last officiated at the international level in the ODI between Australia and New Zealand in February but will now be restricted to umpiring domestic games and women's internationals.

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