Profuse apologies for the really poor joke as the title of this post.
However, I am sad today and I would make up any PJ on this universe, to get even a whiff of any radical emotion other than disappointment.
I am sad to see an outstanding umpire's career coming to an end. Simon Taufel, take a bow sir - you have elevated the role and skill-level of an umpire to much better standards through sheer dint of your impeccable conduct and deportment.
It was painful to see Mark Boucher go the way he had to, a few months ago.
Many editors and journos have long been ready with their oft-rehearsed farewell lines for one Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. It's another matter that the Little Master might keep them waiting for a few more years, even now.
There was a void when the great Kapil Dev left, and one struggles to remember a genuine Indian all-rounder, before or after him.
However, the departure of this non-sportsman on the cricket field seems truly sad. No one has dominated the world of cricket umpiring with such unparalleled competence than Simon.
Before Simon, cricket has been blessed with some illustrious umpires - from Dickie Bird to David Shepherd to Rudi Koertzen.
However, the bright talent that this 'young' gem is and has been, will be hard to find.
Achieving so much at such a young age in the umpiring world, is not easy at all.
In fact I reckon Simon Taufel is the Sachin Tendulkar of umpires - started young, excelled in all conditions, vanquished pressure and the perils of stardom, achieved just about everything possible in his field, and became a living legend with great competence and insight.
Among the many admirable qualities he has, there are two things that truly made me a Simon fan:
Focus and Decision Making
His ability to read the length, trajectory and angle of the ball in determining LBWs is exemplary. The focus in identifying close nicks, and knowing when not to give a batsman out, was fantastic.
Positioning and Self-Confidence
The way Simon used to run in time adjacent to the stumps in perfect preparation of adjudicating a run-out is something fantastic, made even more commendable by the fact that umpires today do not bother to do any such stuff because they can always fall back on the safer, easier and more convenient option of going 'upstairs' to the 3rd umpire. Despite this, Simon never flinched from taking a tough decision, relying on his ability, knowledge and confidence on his decision-making abilities.
It is easy to overlook the fact that today, we live in an age of stumpcams, microphones, third umpires, decision reviews, and hawk-eyes. These are times when even an iota of error is magnified and played over and over again.
To remain pretty much unblemished in even such times, and to be able to trust oneself to give decisions instead of relying on the easy, safer option of simply calling up the third ump, has been truly commendable.
And now, he bids goodbye to help groom other umpires (if even a few of them can come close to him, it's job well done).
As the Word T20 ends, one country will win.
But the whole world will be at a loss - of a great umpire, whose expertise, equanimity, and faultless decisions shall remain etched in the memory of all his fans.
Fare thee well, Simon!!
However, I am sad today and I would make up any PJ on this universe, to get even a whiff of any radical emotion other than disappointment.
I am sad to see an outstanding umpire's career coming to an end. Simon Taufel, take a bow sir - you have elevated the role and skill-level of an umpire to much better standards through sheer dint of your impeccable conduct and deportment.
It was painful to see Mark Boucher go the way he had to, a few months ago.
Many editors and journos have long been ready with their oft-rehearsed farewell lines for one Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. It's another matter that the Little Master might keep them waiting for a few more years, even now.
There was a void when the great Kapil Dev left, and one struggles to remember a genuine Indian all-rounder, before or after him.
However, the departure of this non-sportsman on the cricket field seems truly sad. No one has dominated the world of cricket umpiring with such unparalleled competence than Simon.
Before Simon, cricket has been blessed with some illustrious umpires - from Dickie Bird to David Shepherd to Rudi Koertzen.
However, the bright talent that this 'young' gem is and has been, will be hard to find.
Achieving so much at such a young age in the umpiring world, is not easy at all.
In fact I reckon Simon Taufel is the Sachin Tendulkar of umpires - started young, excelled in all conditions, vanquished pressure and the perils of stardom, achieved just about everything possible in his field, and became a living legend with great competence and insight.
Among the many admirable qualities he has, there are two things that truly made me a Simon fan:
Focus and Decision Making
His ability to read the length, trajectory and angle of the ball in determining LBWs is exemplary. The focus in identifying close nicks, and knowing when not to give a batsman out, was fantastic.
Positioning and Self-Confidence
The way Simon used to run in time adjacent to the stumps in perfect preparation of adjudicating a run-out is something fantastic, made even more commendable by the fact that umpires today do not bother to do any such stuff because they can always fall back on the safer, easier and more convenient option of going 'upstairs' to the 3rd umpire. Despite this, Simon never flinched from taking a tough decision, relying on his ability, knowledge and confidence on his decision-making abilities.
It is easy to overlook the fact that today, we live in an age of stumpcams, microphones, third umpires, decision reviews, and hawk-eyes. These are times when even an iota of error is magnified and played over and over again.
To remain pretty much unblemished in even such times, and to be able to trust oneself to give decisions instead of relying on the easy, safer option of simply calling up the third ump, has been truly commendable.
And now, he bids goodbye to help groom other umpires (if even a few of them can come close to him, it's job well done).
As the Word T20 ends, one country will win.
But the whole world will be at a loss - of a great umpire, whose expertise, equanimity, and faultless decisions shall remain etched in the memory of all his fans.
Fare thee well, Simon!!
