CHENNAI: From where ordinary mortals stand, umpires seem a privileged lot. At the non-striker’s end and square-leg, they have the best seats to the great knocks, juiciest sledges and fearsome spells. But then, the biggest tragedy is that they hardly get to enjoy it. Especially when the man in question is Simon Taufel.
The 48-year-old Australian, counted among the best till he retired in 2012, gave up the privilege to enjoy cricket when he took up umpiring. “I try to desensitise myself from who is batting or bowling, and just look at the set of pads and the ball,” says Taufel. “For me, it became easier that way. There was no emotional engagement. So I did not get to that point where I would sit back and say ‘Wow, what an innings’. That’s one of the downsides — it’s a job. I love cricket, but even now, when I watch a game, I watch the umpires. I didn’t appreciate the game for the game’s sake.”
Taufel is in the city to promote his book ‘Finding the Gaps’. As a five-time ICC Umpire of the Year, who officiated in some of the most important matches over the last two decades, he has a lot to draw back upon. The opening chapter is his recollection of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test which was called off due to a terror attack on the team bus. With a jovial smile, he talks of Virender Sehwag venting his frustration while at square-leg and the hair-raising experience of walking in for his first
Test at Lord’s.
A lot of his book, though, is a manual for umpires. These days, when the nature of the telecast means that umpires are under heavy scrutiny, that might come in handy. “It (the scrutiny) is a challenge,” Taufel says. “Broadcasting is so good these days. The quality of high definition coverage, cameras, extra-technology tools — snicko, hotspot, ball-tracking — and then you’ve experts in commentary to make judgements. Sometimes the viewer at home has more information than we’ve got out. But that’s part of the challenge.
“I talk about my worst game on TV, a Test between England and New Zealand (in 2004). I made a lot of mistakes and got myself into a very dark place mentally. I found some good information from that game and I learnt a lot. But I did have to make that decision — I got on the plane back to Australia thinking ‘is this umpiring thing really for me?’. I want to share those experiences to hopefully help others what I have gone through.”
Taufel’s career overlapped a period when cricket changed. Umpiring changed as well, with technology creeping into the game and rules getting regular rejigs. Taufel is uniquely placed to evaluate BCCI’s recent proposal to introduce a fifth umpire to evaluate no balls in IPL — he has been part of similar experiments before.
“In 2016, one of my last projects for the ICC was to be involved in a front foot no-ball trial with a dedicated third umpire looking at the no-balls,” Taufel says.
“That was a laboursome process, very expensive at the time. I’m not sure the results were conclusive. I was also part of a no-ball trial during the Champions Trophy in England. But I haven’t seen the full detail of what the BCCI is proposing, so I can’t say whether it’s going to be a good thing or bad.”