Cricket: Meet the new, more mature, less flamboyant 'Billy' Bowden

In the words of umpire Brent Bowden, it has been a long time between drinks from his first to his second test appointment.

Bowden is desperate to make the most of it over the next five days at the Basin Reserve.

He is passionate about umpiring. He is one of five on contract to New Zealand Cricket, the others being Steve Dunne and Doug Cowie (who are on the International Cricket Council's panel) and Tony Hill and Dave Quested.

Bowden wants to take a career in umpiring a stage further by becoming a member of the ICC's new panels.

From April 1 there will be an elite group of eight umpires who will control all test matches. That will allow the tests to have two neutral umpires rather than the one who operates now alongside an official from the host country.

Under them will be a group of 20, who will be involved in one-day internationals and act as third umpires to the elite group, as the ICC works to have neutral officials for all one-dayers as well.

Bowden would love to be among the 28 when the ICC makes its selections based on captains' reports and the advice of the umpiring managers in the various countries.

He would enhance his prospects with a convincing display at the Basin Reserve.

Bowden made his test debut last year in the first match against Australia at Auckland. The consensus was that he did well and Bowden still remembers the dates, March 11 to 15.

But he was not required for any of the other home tests last summer, although he continued to umpire one-day internationals.

Bowden was delighted to be chosen for today's test and he feels he is better prepared now.

"I've matured a lot," he said yesterday. "I've learned a lot. I think I've turned the corner.

"Your demeanour and attitude on and off the field are so important, and you have to be a good ambassador for your country."

That was an acknowledgment that Bowden, 38, realised he needed to behave more conventionally if he were to fulfil his umpiring potential.

He has been criticised for becoming a showman, when the traditional role of the umpire was to meld into the background.

Bowden, a self-confessed extrovert, has recognised that there is a time and a place for some of his extravagant signalling and dance steps, and he says he knows how far to go now.

He has had his share of criticism for making wrong decisions when those watching television replays had a better view of what happened than he did.

Although he said making greater use of technology was probably inevitable, he was not in a hurry for it to occur.

He believes much of cricket's traditional values and charm will be lost, with more decisions being referred to the third umpire, who he says would become more important than the two in the middle.

He likes to think the new elite panel will eliminate a lot of the problems, particularly with greater consultation between the umpires.

Until there has been time for their efforts to be assessed he is not keen on more use being made of technology.

The match referee at the Basin Reserve is former Australian wicketkeeper Barry Jarman.

- NZPA