Taufel Speaks

On the same lines as my previous post, read an interview given by Simon Taufel, regarded as the best umpire around. Some points he made were pretty interesting.

Answering a question on the role of media he says:
"All I would like to see from the media is balanced reporting – we don’t seem to get much credit for all the good decisions we make and when the odd error is made, then that is where the focus and comment is on. How many times does a good decision get replayed on TV or noted in the press? Compare this to an error! The media and paying public expect perfection from all match officials all of the time – a tough ask don’t you think?

We cannot be perfect but we can be excellent."

I think that this is a very valid point and it seems like the media of today is bent upon sensationalizing things rather than presenting it in proper perspective.

When asked if increasing the number of umpires would help in reducing stress he makes another interesting reply:

"Stress? What is stress? Like pressure, stress only exists if you let it. An increased number of international Emirates Elite Panel umpires will allow more potential for recovery periods which is a good thing and should help match officials recover and prepare for series providing they use the time and opportunity wisely. At this point in time, the amount of cricket played in the year is not the issue for me but how much time there is to recover in between appointments."

You can find the full interview here.