Sport | Cricket
Taufel wins umpire award for fifth time
Australian says he still wants to carry on officiating in the top games after winning ICC accolade.
- By K.R. Nayar, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:30 September 12, 2008
- Image Credit: Megan Hirons/Gulf News
- Simon Taufel with the trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year, which he won for the fifth consecutive year on Wednesday.
Dubai Simon Taufel has once again been recognised as the best umpire in the business with the ICC Umpire of the Year award for the fifth year in a row.
Video: Top cricket stars descend on ICC awards
The Australian said the secret to his success lay in aiming for excellence every time he took to the field.
He said: "It is by keeping things very simple. I tell myself you may not be able to be perfect but at least you can try and be excellent."
Taufel has officiated in 53 Test matches and 138 one-dayers as well as 11 Twenty20 matches
The 37-year-old prides himself on his fitness levels despite his job not requiring strenuous physical activity.
He said: "It is not just about being physically fit but mentally alert too.
"You have to be in a good frame of mind while officiating matches."
Pre-match preparation
Taufel said his preparation before each Test or limited overs match was particularly important.
He said: "Lot of things go into my preparation for a match.
"I work on my flexibility and a lot on my mental preparation. Umpiring is essentially a mental exercise. I make sure I am able to handle setbacks and negative moments.
"I try hard enough to stay focused on the moment and ignore distractions."
Taufel said the job requires absolute concentration for hours.
The Australian added: "I focus on the ball. Even when the ball is delivered at 90 miles an hour, I am able to stay in the moment and talk to myself positively and say this is where the ball has pitched and what it has done.
"You must have a positive approach and do it over by over, hour by hour, day by day and game by game.
"We can only try to get 100 per cent correct but it need not happen," said the 37-year-old.
Even after winning the trophy for a fifth, he still wants to carry on umpiring the top games.
He said: "My goals are to be selected for finals and for major championship like the Champions Trophy and World Twenty20.
"If Ricky Ponting and his boys slip up, eventually I might get the chance to do a World Cup final."
ICC Cricket awards 2008
- Cricketer of the Year: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)
- Test Player of the Year: Dale Steyn (South Africa)
- ODI Player of the Year: Mahendra Singh Doni (India)
- Emerging Player of the Year: Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka)
- T20 international performance of the year: Yuvraj Singh (India)
- Associate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate (The Netherlands)
- Women's Cricketer of the Year: Charlotte Edwards (England)
- Umpire of the Year: Simon Taufel (Australia)
- Spirit of Cricket Award: Sri Lanka
TEAMS
ICC Test Team of the Year: Graeme Smith (RSA, capt), Virender Sehwag (IND), Mahela Jayawardene (SRI), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WIS), Kevin Pietersen (ENG), Jacques Kallis (RSA), Kumar Sangakkara (SRI, wkt), Brett Lee (AUS), Ryan Sidebottom (ENG), Dale Steyn (RSA), Muttiah Muralitharan (SRI). 12th man: Stuart Clark (AUS).
ICC ODI Team of the Year: Herschelle Gibbs (RSA), Sachin Tendulkar (IND), Ricky Ponting (AUS, capt), Younis Khan (PAK), Andrew Symonds (AUS), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (IND, wkt), Farveez Maharoof (SRI), Daniel Vettori (NZL), Brett Lee (AUS), Mitchell Johnson (AUS) and Nathan Bracken (AUS). 12th man: Salman Butt (PAK).
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