India-Pakistan clashes came with added scrutiny and expectations: Former umpire Simon Taufel

Former international umpire Simon Taufel believes that the India-Pakistan matches are the most difficult ones to officiate. Taufel is a well-known umpire from the modern period. After retiring, Taufel, who won the ICC Umpire of the year award five times in his career, created an online certification course to assist and train umpires.

During his time, he was widely regarded as one of the finest umpires in the world. The news of his retirement came in after the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 final. Making his umpiring debut in first-class cricket at the young age of just 24, Taufel achieved many laurels in his career.

The 51-year-old explained that there are three levels of certification: Introduction, Level 1, and Level 2. He went on to say that the training is focused on match preparation, resolution of conflicts, technique, and game management.

“The aim is to equip people with the insights and the tools to be able to benchmark their skills against best practices and since it is an online course, people can do it at their own pace. You can retake the course because it is not about pass or fail but a case of becoming a better umpire and enjoying their craft,” he told Cricket Pakistan.

The training is accessible to both new and experienced umpires, with the latter not having to go through the introduction level but instead going through Levels 1 and 2 to improve their abilities.

The Australian-born cricketer retired from international umpiring in 2012 and admitted that he misses camaraderie and teamwork. “I miss being part of the excitement of international cricket but I don’t miss the travel and time away from family. I certainly don’t miss the scrutiny. It is now time to help the new generation and I am loving every bit of that.”

You had people with machine guns guarding you: Simon Taufel

The 51-year-old claimed that India-Pakistan matches were the most challenging to adjudicate in. Taufel recalled how due to the enormity of the match, he could not help but get captivated during Pakistan’s memorable series against India in 2004.

“The India-Pakistan clashes came with added scrutiny and expectations because the game is being analyzed by all the armchair experts. You had people with machine guns guarding you and presidential-level security was assigned to the teams. You have to remain grounded as I tried my level best to focus on the task ahead and take things one ball at a time,” he revealed.