LAHORE: Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar have been appointed as on-field umpires to officiate in the ICC World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka. The final will take place at the newly-laid Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. Australia’s Simon Taufel is a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. He won five consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards between 2004 and 2008, and is regarded as one of the best in the business.
In April 2007, Taufel took charge of the World Cup semifinal between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, but could not officiate in the finals as he was still under-age. He also featured in the 2003 World Cup. Interestingly, the Aussie made his first-class debut in 1995, aged just 24. Aleem Dar of Pakistan has made rapid strides as well. Considered a top-notch international umpire today, he is one of the best to have come out of the Indian sub-continent.
He won two consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards in 2009 and 2010. Aleem and Taufel are the only umpires to have received the award since its inception.
