Former cricket umpire Simon Taufel believes that Pakistan vs India matches are the toughest ones to officiate. He fins Indo-Pak clashes as the biggest challenges that come with added scrutiny and expectations. Simon, while talking to Pakistani media, told that there is no gap for mistakes in Pak vs Ind matches as every single body analyzes every single ball in depth.
Back in 2020, Taufel claimed the Pak vs Ind semi-final clash of the ICC ODI World Cup 2011 was the most difficult one to officiate in. He was absolutely the finest cricket umpire of his time. The Australia-born umpire retired after the conclusion of the ICC World Cup 2012.
While being in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, he narrated,
“The India-Pakistan clashes came with added scrutiny and expectations because the game is being analyzed by all the armchair experts. You had people with machine guns guarding you and presidential-level security was assigned to the teams. You have to remain grounded as I tried my level best to focus on the task ahead and take things one ball at a time,”
Simon won the ICC Umpire of the Year award five times during his tenure. After retiring, he launched an online certification course to train and assist umpires. Notably, he made his umpiring debut at the young age of 24 and has achieved many laurels in his career.
