Simon Taufel names Rahul Dravid as the most disciplined cricketer

 

Simon James Arthur Taufel is a former Australian cricket umpire, who has also been a part of ICC’s Elite Umpire Panel. He was known for his on-the-spot decisions on the field, which were surprisingly accurate for a time when umpires did not rely on technological assistance to help them make decisions.

In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Taufel was surprisingly candid while discussing his favourite batsman and bowler from the cricketing fraternity. In a world where cricketing greats such as Mitchell Starc, Virat Kohli, and Steve Smith rule the roost, Taufel simply said: “I’ve no favourite batsman and no favourite bowlers.”

When asked about who he thought was the most disciplined cricketer he had ever come across, Taufel replied by giving the names of former captains Rahul Dravid and Mark Waugh. Dravid has been one of the most successful Indian players and captains during his time, and Waugh is even today known for his passion for winning on the field.

Taufel also gave insight into the toughest match he had ever umpired during his career, which was the 2011 ICC World Cup semi-final match between India and Pakistan. In that match, cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was declared not-out in a number of nail-biting moments before he was finally sent back to the pavilion at 85 runs. India had beaten Pakistan by 29 runs in the match, going on to lift the 2011 ICC World Cup Trophy by beating Sri Lanka in the finals.

Simon Taufel is an umpiring legend. He won the ICC Umpire of the year five times in a row from 2004 to 2008. He bid adieu to cricket in 2012, but not before he officiated 174 ODIs, 74 Tests, and 34 T20 International matches. He is now a writer, having released “Finding the Gaps” recently, a self-help book that guides the reader to be the best person they can become.