Cricket Umpire David Shepherd is dead

David Shepherd, a highly popular former English test cricket umpire who had the superstitious habit of standing on one leg when a team reached certain scores, has died of cancer.



He was 68.



The former Gloucestershire batsman, who was a veteran of 92 tests and 172 one-day internationals, retired from umpiring in 2005 and received a standing ovation from the fans and players after his final match, a one-day game between England and Australia at the Oval.



International Cricket Council president David Morgan described Shepherd as a true gentleman of the game.



Shepherd made 12 centuries in his 10,672 first class runs in 282 matches for Gloucestershire before he stopped playing in 1979 and became an umpire. He began umpiring tests and One Day Internationals in 1983.