Popular umpire David Shepherd, renowned for his sound judgement and idiosyncracy, died of cancer last night. He was 68. Shepherd is survived by his wife Jenny, whom he married last year. One of the most affable umpires of his era, 'Shep' had officiated with distinction in 92 Test matches and 172 One-Day Internationals, including three World Cup finals. Shepherd played county cricket for Gloucestershire, making his first-class debut in 1965.After dropping curtains on his playing career in 1979, Shepherd made his international umpiring debut in the 1983 World Cup and stood in three successive World Cup finals in 1996, 1999 and 2003.