Australian umpire Simon Taufel announced his retirement from international cricket in 2012 after ICC World Twenty20 final. In his 13 years long international career, Simon umpired 174 ODIs, 74 Tests and 34 T20I.
In a recent interview, Simon Taufel discussed his cricket journey as an umpire.
Taufel started his career when he was just 29. He says, “The best way I can describe it is that umpiring chose me. I didn’t choose it”.
During his career, Taufel spent almost 5 years away from his family. “It’s not easy and it’s not for everyone,” he adds.
Taufel won five consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards (2004 to 2008), but those didn’t come easy. “I had to work harder at my game to feel that I was ready and that I deserved to have a good day out there, rather than just turn up and it be OK.”, says Taufel.
Currently, he works as the ICC Umpire Performance and Training Manager, looking after the development and implementation of additional resources to support both field and tv umpires.
Sharing his thoughts on DRS, Taufel says that it has made umpiring different. “Pre-DRS, you’d deal with the error later. With DRS, you’ve got to deal with it at the time. You hear your decision dissected in your ear piece, in front of millions of people, and then, after 90 seconds, two minutes, you have to publicly change your decision and somehow regather your thoughts.”, says Taufel.
He adds, “You can feel a bit embarrassed and humiliated. It’s really tough to move on and focus on that next delivery.”
Talking about the role of umpires, he says “We are guardians of the game of cricket. We have to leave it in good shape for the next generation. The only way that we can do that is through adherence to the laws and to the spirit of that game.”
Taufel believes that everyone needs to contribute to this. “That’s something that everyone can look at. Not just one country or one player or one captain, it’s up to everyone to play their role.”, he adds.
