KARACHI, Oct 19: Celebrated international umpire Simon Taufel, who retired at the top of his profession after the ICC World Twenty20 final in Sri Lanka a year ago to take up a new role with the game’s governing body, says the general standard of umpiring is improving by leaps and bounds.

A five-time recipient of the coveted ICC Umpire of the Year award, the 42-year-old Australian is the International Cricket Council’s umpire performance and training manager, a post he took up after having officiated in 74 Tests, 174 One-day Internationals and 34 Twenty20 Internationals during an illustrious career from January 1999 until October 2012.

Taufel — currently in Colombo where he is conducting a nine-day course for the local match officials at the invitation of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) — told Dawn in an exclusive interview on Saturday from the Sri Lankan capital that he was highly impressed by the present lot of umpires.

“What impresses me overall about the current international umpires is the strong desire to perform well, contribute to team success and strive for excellence. I was never satisfied with my own standard of performance and so our continued focus is to encourage, support and work with the current umpires to raise the bar,” he said.

“What is very pleasing to see is that the standard of umpires joining the ICC Elite Panel continues to be higher every year. This year, Paul Reiffel and Richard Illingworth’s appointment continue to support that view.”

Taufel, who felt honoured to deliver the Cowdrey Lecture this year, pointed out that there is no gadget to compare the best umpires of the modern era with those of yesteryear.

“Just like comparing players from different eras, it’s difficult and sometimes unfair to compare the talents of umpires. We have seen some excellent and great umpires over the years, many of whom I’ve been lucky enough to see and work with. The game continues to change and present new challenges to umpires,” he commented.

“For example, in today’s game you need to be an excellent third umpire to be on the International or Elite Panel and not just have the on-field skills. There are other types of pressures to deal with in modern day umpiring such as increased media scrutiny and having to stand in a match following international travel [sometimes after having crossed several time zones].”

When asked to recall some of the memorable moments of his career, Taufel said he was honoured to stand in the matches which he never dreamt of.

“Oh, there is no doubt that I have been blessed to have worked with some outstanding people throughout my officiating career. There have been many highlights which include my debut matches in all three formats, three World Cups, a few ICC awards and the odd India v Pakistan match, but for me the greatest privilege has been to have earned the respect of my peers and to represent those that have helped advanced my career.”

Taufel disagreed that he retired prematurely when he was at the peak of his career. He chose to hang up his umpiring boots because he wanted to spend more time with his family and also since he wanted to contribute to the sport.

“Obviously, it was a decision I arrived at for two primary reasons — professional and personal. Age had nothing to do with it — I had been umpiring for 22 years. I don’t believe in doing something for a ‘number’ [number of games or a financial number]. You should do something because you are passionate about it and want to add value or make a positive difference,” Taufel elaborated.

“I reached a stage where I was more passionate and saw an opportunity to contribute to umpiring and cricket in a different way.

“I also wanted more control over my time and schedule so that I could spend the rest of my children’s childhood with them as my family priorities had shifted.”

When pressed to express the highlights of his long international career and share the experience of travelling through a host of countries, Taufel said he enjoyed every bit of it, although it was difficult at times.

“I’m not going to pretend it was always easy — it’s not supposed to be. If it was, then everyone would be doing it. What I did learn early on, it that it is a lot more fun if you can embrace the local culture and people and find all the positives,” he observed.

“Get out of your hotel room, see the real country, meet the local people, learn some of the local language and appreciate the diversity of each destination.

“People often ask me, what is your favourite country to visit — apart from visiting Australia, I don’t really have a favourite, they all are special and offer something great. Touring India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are special though as the profile of anyone involved in international cricket sees you instantly recognized and treated well — it’s a good feeling and I certainly appreciate the love of the game especially in those countries.”

Taufel was forthcoming when questioned what made him take a new role at the ICC.

“We saw a growing need and gap in umpire training and support. I like going places where no one has been before, breaking new ground. This role offered that, and I wanted to make a positive difference — there is much to be done. I enjoy asking the hard questions,” he emphasised.

“I wanted to further my legacy goals of improving conditions for the current generation of umpires and make it easier for future generations. The ICC deserves a lot of credit, especially Vince van der Bijl and David Richardson, for their work in creating the role and for giving umpiring a greater profile in the sport.

“We need more umpires in cricket, we need to offer them more support as the role is challenging and we need to continue to show leadership of best practice umpiring. Together with our full-time umpire coaches in Peter Manuel, David Levens and Denis Burns, we want to work with the Full Member countries and the umpires to deliver a better service to the game. It has to be a team effort.”

The Australian further said that he plans to train umpires who are assigned to act as TV (third) umpires and on his assigned role in India.

“This is one of our top priorities. Broadcasting technology is changing so rapidly and so are the tools that they use. We have partnered with a few broadcasters and developed some simulated-based training modules. Being an effective third umpire is a unique skill and it is something that has to be practiced and practiced properly, with the necessary self-assessment and feedback,” Taufel said.

“It certainly is a growth area in our training and we cannot do enough of it right now. It is a component of every umpire workshop that we do now and we continue to seek access to training facilities and opportunities. We are also broadening the training when we can to fourth umpires and the top domestic umpires so that they are better prepared for when they have to step up into the role.

“I’ve been personally involved with the BCCI umpires since 2007 through a programme they initiated with Cricket Australia. I’m only part of the programme in India, the BCCI have invested in umpiring in many other ways and I’m confident that the investment is delivering higher standards to their first-class system.”