KINGSTON, Jamaica — Legendary Jamaican cricket umpire Douglas Sang Hue died this morning at the age of 82, after ailing for some time.

A small man, standing five feet four inches, Sang Hue was however a giant of West Indies cricket whose fame as an umpire equalled that of some of the regional side’s greatest players.

He umpired 31 Test matches in the West Indies, between 1962 and 1981. His first Test as an umpire, the fifth Test against India at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, in March 1962, was also the first time he had officiated in a first-class match. He stood in four other Test matches in the 1960s.

In 1972-73 Sang Hue became the first umpire to stand in all five Tests in a series in the West Indies, in the series against Australia in 1972/3. He repeated the feat in the five Tests against England in 1973/4.

Wisden called him “quite the most professional of the umpires” while he stood in the series against the touring MCC team in 1967/8. Australian captain Ian Chappell called him “best umpire in the world”.

Sang Hue, who was born in Clarendon on October 28, 1931, stood in his last three test matches in 1981 but continued officiating in domestic cricket until 1988.