Shep rounds it up at Oval

The portly, ruddy-faced Shepherd, who made a century on his first-class debut in 1965, was selected to stand in the last three World Cup finals in 1996, 1999 and 2003.

Among cricket watchers, he is almost as well known for his dance whenever the score reaches 111 or any multiple of that score.

Cricketing folklore suggests 111, known as the Nelson after British Admiral Horatio Nelson, is an unlucky number often prompting the fall of a wicket. Shepherd, a superstitious man, tries to compensate by hopping up and down on one leg until the score has moved on.

The name was coined in the mistaken belief that Nelson had one eye, one arm and one leg. In fact, he had two legs but the superstition has stuck.

The ICC were willing to make an exception to their own rule of neutral umpires to allow Shepherd to end his career by umpiring in the first Ashes Test at Lord’s next month. Shepherd turned down the offer, arguing the game was about the players and saying he did not want any fuss made of him.

(Tony Lawrence/Reuters)