When not officiating in the middle, Simon Taufel is busy with seminars for the benefit of upcoming umpires.
After bagging his fifth consecutive umpire of the year award, the International Cricket Council's Elite Panel umpire was in Bangalore to conduct a seminar for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) umpires on Sunday and Monday.
“The last two days here have been great with 40 of your best umpires,” Taufel told HT from Bangalore before leaving for Dubai for a series of important meetings of the ICC.
The world body's three-day intensive seminar from Wednesday has technology and teamwork high on its agenda and will bring together 65 experienced officials, including the five newly appointed Regional Umpire Performance Managers (RUPMs), of which India's A.V. Jayaprakash is a member.
On the seminar at the National Cricket Academy, the Australian said, “The main message at this year's meet is to 'step up' after establishing a solid base last year. We have been giving the umpires advice and tools on how to rise to the increasing challenges at the top level.”
The 37-year-old from New South Wales said the umpires were given various topics to deal with. “They included mental toughness, striving for excellence, physical conditioning, how to make better leg before and bat/pad decisions, preparation for peak performance, coping with pressure and dealing with the media,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The 37-year-old from New South Wales said the umpires were given various topics to deal with. “They included mental toughness, striving for excellence, physical conditioning, how to make better leg before and bat/pad decisions, preparation for peak performance, coping with pressure and dealing with the media,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}A total of 99 umpires from state associations, split into three batches, are attending the seminar that concludes on Friday.