Simon Taufel – Former Umpire – One of the Best in Cricket History

Simon Taufel is a former Australian cricket umpire widely regarded as one of the best in the game’s history. Born on January 21, 1971, he officiated in international cricket from 1999 to 2012. Taufel won the ICC Umpire of the Year award five consecutive times from 2004 to 2008, highlighting his consistency and accuracy in decision-making.

He officiated in numerous high-profile matches, including the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final. After retiring from on-field umpiring, he took on roles in umpire training and development, contributing to the growth of officiating standards worldwide. Taufel also authored Finding the Gaps, a book on leadership and performance.

Below Article By Simon Taufel

February this year saw the inaugural International Masters League (ILM) T20 cricket tournament delivered in India. I was proud to be an umpire in all 18 matches across cities such as Mumbai, Baroda and Raipur. There is no doubt that India has a massive hunger to see former fathers of cricket – Sachin Tendulkar (India), Brian Lara (West Indies), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Shane Watson (Australia) and Eion Morgan (England) play cricket and lead their nations again. This was evident with over 35000 spectators to see the opening match between India and Sri Lanka and then over 60000 to see India defeat West Indies in the Final at Raipur. Shane Watson scored three centuries and looked good enough to be still playing international cricket.

Yuvraj Singh also starred for India with the bat and hit many sixes which took me back to the famous T20 match in Durban where he hit England’s Stuart Broad for a historic six sixes in one over.

Another Indian, Rahul Sharma, took a hat trick in Baroda, while Kumar Sangakkara batted with all the fluency and finesse that saw him become one of the best batters in world cricket. While there were many top cricketers on show and many great performances, the people came and TVs were turned on, mainly to see one person – Sachin Tendulkar. It may not surprise anyone, but he still has the passion and love for cricket as well as the pride in representing India to see his home nation successful.

It is anticipated that the IML T20 will again take place in India in November later this year and we all look forward to seeing the fathers of cricket in action again.