MUMBAI: Former international umpire Piloo Reporter died at the age of 84 in Mumbai on Sunday, as per ESPNcricinfo. Piloo was suffering from cerebral contusions and was bedridden for a long time.
Piloo umpired in 14 Tests and 22 One-day internationals. He had also officiated the 1992 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.
He was the only Indian umpire in the tournament and quickly gained popularity for his unique boundary signal, which made players, broadcasters, and fans around the world laugh.
It was the first time neutral umpires stood in an international cricket match when Piloo and fellow Indian VK Ramaswamy umpired in the Lahore Test between Pakistan and the West Indies in November 1986. Imran Khan, the captain of Pakistan, initiated the change to allay concerns about perceived bias in the home umpires.
It was the first significant step, as the ICC experimented with one neutral umpire in Test cricket in 1992 before formalising it two years later.
Piloo debuted as an umpire in Delhi in 1984, during England’s tour of India.
Piloo also umpired in the Hero Cup game between Zimbabwe and South Africa in Bengaluru in 1993. Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak had made his international debut as a 19-year-old in that game. Streak died the same day on September 3. (ANI)