‘I’m here to help’: Taufel says after joining as BCB consultant

Renowned former Australian umpire Simon Taufel said he will work to create a more professional structure and to ensure a better environment for umpires and match referees in Bangladesh.

The 54-year-old joined the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on a two-year contract as its umpires education consultant on Saturday.

Talking to the media after joining the BCB, Taufel asked everyone to be patient in this process.

"I'm humbled to be part of that process going forward for the next couple of years. I'm here to help, I'm here to create and support a better environment for umpires and referees to be able to explore their potential — to be able to grow, develop, to serve Bangladesh cricket, to improve the standard of domestic cricket and make sure that they are going to be the best that they can be," Taufel told reporters in Mirpur.

"I'm very excited, very pleased that I can reinforce the leadership and vision of this current board, its chairman, its CEO, its president, the chairman of the umpires committee. There's been a lot of work to get to this point

"So we're looking forward to the next couple of years. That work starts today. I'd ask that everyone be patient. I'd ask that everyone be respectful. I'd ask that everyone be supportive in that process. It's going to take some time, but that's okay. But it starts today. So really looking forward to it," he added.

Taufel, who was named ICC umpire of the year five years in a row, also heaped praises on Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat -- Bangladesh's only elite panel umpire who was named the head of the umpires education department -- and hoped that it won't take Bangladesh 10 more years to produce another elite panel umpire.

"Having worked with the BCCI system for 10 years plus previously, we saw a long period where there wasn't an elite panel umpire from India. S. Ravi was one of those people who came through that system, followed by Nitin Menon. It takes 10 years to become an overnight success. It's a long journey, and it's one that has to be supported both on and off the field — a long time, a long time.

"Now, I'm not saying it's going to take another 10 years to see another elite panel umpire from Bangladesh, but that's the type of commitment that's required. But Saikat deserves a lot of credit for that perseverance, dedication, resilience," said Taufel, who will start his work with the upcoming National Cricket League (NCL) T20, which begins tomorrow.

"Watching the NCL tournament over the next couple of weeks will give me an insight into the performances of 30-odd match officials. It'll give me an insight into how the officiating system could be developed and improved and taken to the next level," he concluded.

Meanwhile, BCB's umpire committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman Mithu claimed that it was more difficult for them to convince Saikat than Taufel to join them.

"I would say that convincing Saikat was more difficult than convincing Taufel. I'm really honoured that he has agreed. Since me taking up the job, I tried to involve Saikat in the plan. We are very lucky that we have a figure like Saikat in Bangladesh. In future, we won't have to depend on foreigners," he concluded.