Simon Taufel
Encyclopedia
Simon James Arthur Taufel, (born 21 January 1971 in St Leonards, New South Wales
), is an Australian cricket umpire who is a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel
. He won five consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year
awards between 2004 and 2008, and is generally considered to be one of the best umpires in the world.
award was leading wicket-taker and had the lowest bowling average in the association. His career was cut short by a back injury.
debut in 1995, aged just 24.
bowled four successive bouncers at tail-end batsmen.He became a member of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires in 2002.
He was chosen to umpire at the 2003 Cricket World Cup
.
Taufel has been named the top umpire of the year three times, and in August 2006 the ICC's annual umpire review officially ranked second for accuracy (behind Darrell Hair
), and top overall. He umpired in the final of the 2004 Champions Trophy
. At the 2006 Champions Trophy he umpired a semi-final, but could not umpire the final because Australia had reached the final. In January 2007 he became the youngest umpire to stand in 100 ODIs, and in April 2007 took charge of the World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, again being ineligible for the final which featured Australia. He umpired alongside Aleem Dar
in the final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup
between Sri Lanka
and India
, gaining the opportunity to do so after Australia were knocked out by India in the Quarter Finals.
On 3 March 2009, Taufel was one of the officials caught in the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team
by terrorists in Lahore, Pakistan. He along with Chris Broad
criticized the Pakistan security forces' response to the incident.
of Pakistan won the ICC Umpire of the Year award.
Taufel is the youngest person to have received the ICC's Bronze Bails Award
for umpiring 100 ODIs.
St Leonards, New South Wales
St Leonards is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. St Leonards is located 5 km north-west of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of Municipality of Lane Cove, North Sydney Council and the City of...
), is an Australian cricket umpire who is a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel
ICC Elite umpire panel
The Elite Panel of ICC Umpires is a panel of cricket umpires appointed by the International Cricket Council to officiate in Test matches and One Day Internationals around the world....
. He won five consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year
ICC Awards
The ICC Awards is a set of sports awards for cricket. The awards recognise and honour the best international cricket players of the previous 12 months...
awards between 2004 and 2008, and is generally considered to be one of the best umpires in the world.
Playing career
Taufel played for Cammeray Cricket Club in the Northern Suburbs Cricket Association as a fast-medium bowler. After the 1990–1991 season he won the club's best and fairestBest and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
award was leading wicket-taker and had the lowest bowling average in the association. His career was cut short by a back injury.
Umpiring career
Despite initially having no intention of becoming an umpire, he agreed to go along with a friend to an umpiring course. After he passed the subsequent exam he began umpiring grade cricket. He quickly progressed through the ranks and made his first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut in 1995, aged just 24.
International cricket
Taufel stood in his first One Day International (ODI) on 13 January 1999 in the match between Australia and Sri Lanka at Sydney when he was 28 years old. He umpired his first Test match in December 2000 – the Boxing Day Test between Australia and West Indies at Melbourne. He stood in another Test match a year later between Australia and South Africa at Adelaide, during which he was criticised for not intervening when Brett LeeBrett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
bowled four successive bouncers at tail-end batsmen.He became a member of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires in 2002.
He was chosen to umpire at the 2003 Cricket World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
.
Taufel has been named the top umpire of the year three times, and in August 2006 the ICC's annual umpire review officially ranked second for accuracy (behind Darrell Hair
Darrell Hair
Darrell Bruce Hair is an Australian former Test match cricket umpire, from New South Wales. He stood on the Emirates International panel of umpires from 2002 to 2003, before he, along with fellow Australian Simon Taufel, and New Zealander Billy Bowden, was appointed to the ICC Elite umpire panel...
), and top overall. He umpired in the final of the 2004 Champions Trophy
ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
. At the 2006 Champions Trophy he umpired a semi-final, but could not umpire the final because Australia had reached the final. In January 2007 he became the youngest umpire to stand in 100 ODIs, and in April 2007 took charge of the World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, again being ineligible for the final which featured Australia. He umpired alongside Aleem Dar
Aleem Dar
Aleem Sarwar Dar is a retired Pakistani first-class cricketer and a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. He won three consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards 2009, 2010 and 2011, after being nominated twice in 2005 and 2006. Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel are the only umpires to have received the...
in the final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
between Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
and India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
, gaining the opportunity to do so after Australia were knocked out by India in the Quarter Finals.
On 3 March 2009, Taufel was one of the officials caught in the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team
2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team attack occurred on March 3, 2009, when a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers, part of a larger convoy, was fired upon by 12 gunmen, near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. The cricketers were on their way to play the third day of the second Test against the...
by terrorists in Lahore, Pakistan. He along with Chris Broad
Chris Broad
Brian Christopher Broad, usually known as Chris Broad is a former England Test cricketer and current Test official. An opening batsman, Broad had a 25-match long international Test career during which he hit six centuries, together with 34 One Day International matches with a respectable over 40...
criticized the Pakistan security forces' response to the incident.
Accolades
Taufel won the ICC Umpire of the Year for the first six years of its existence (2004–2008). His winning streak was broken in October 2009, when Aleem DarAleem Dar
Aleem Sarwar Dar is a retired Pakistani first-class cricketer and a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. He won three consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards 2009, 2010 and 2011, after being nominated twice in 2005 and 2006. Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel are the only umpires to have received the...
of Pakistan won the ICC Umpire of the Year award.
Taufel is the youngest person to have received the ICC's Bronze Bails Award
Bronze Bails Award
The Bronze Bails Award in the sport of Cricket, is award given by the International Cricket Council to umpires who have officiated in 100 One Day Internationals.-Recipients:Bronze Bails awardees include:* Steve Bucknor...
for umpiring 100 ODIs.
International Umpiring statistics
As of the 17 June 2010:| First | Latest | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | Australia v West Indies at Melbourne Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light... , Dec 2000 |
England v India at Edgbaston Edgbaston Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton.... , Aug 2011 |
67 |
| ODIs | Australia v Sri Lanka at Sydney Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian... , Jan 1999 |
India v Sri Lanka at Mumbai Wankhede Stadium The Sheshrao Krushnarao Wankhede Stadium is a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Mumbai. This ground was built after disputes between the Cricket Club of India, which owns the Brabourne Stadium, and the Mumbai Cricket Association over the allocation of tickets for cricket matches... , Apr 2011 |
167 |
| T20Is | Kenya v New Zealand at Durban, Sep 2007 | England v Sri Lanka at Gros Islet Beausejour Stadium Beausejour Stadium is a cricket ground located near Gros Islet, Saint Lucia. It was completed in 2002 and currently accommodates 13,000 spectators... , May 2010 |
22 |