Zimbabwe?s Tiffin becomes 11th umpire to complete century of ODIs

Russell Tiffin became the 11th umpire to stand in 100 ODIs when he took the field for the fourth ODI between Zimbabwe and the West Indies at the Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo on Friday.

Tiffin (48) reaches this milestone 15 years after he made his debut at his home ground in Harare in a match between Zimbabwe and India.

Tiffin, born in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe), served in the military for three years before turning his full attention to cricket. A useful player, he kept wicket for Mashonaland in the Zimbabwean provincial scene.

He switched over to umpiring in 1986 and after making his ODI debut in 1992, he was selected in the ICC International Panel of Umpires in 1995. He also served on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires between 2002 and 2004.

Tiffin is considered by colleagues, players and friends as a man of few words and he is certainly a no-nonsense umpire. This approach has earned him the respect of players, spectators and his peers across the world.

Tiffin believes his background has a significant role in his development as an umpire. “My cricketing background has helped me immensely in my umpiring career. Having been a wicketkeeper I believe I have an added advantage to make better calls as, after the umpires, the wicketkeepers have the best view of a batsman,” he said.

Reflecting on his achievement, Tiffin said: “It was always a milestone that was in my mind. I am delighted to have achieved something I targeted and now want to go beyond that.

“It is a special day and it is great to be a member of the 100 club. It is a huge honour and when I look at the calibre of the other umpires who have reached the milestone, it makes me proud,” he added.

Tiffin has also stood in 38 Tests with his last match in Hamilton in March 2004. “I look forward to returning to Test cricket and hope many more come my way in the Test arena,” he said.

Tiffin believes umpires’ pre-match preparations are now a normal practice. “Nowadays, it’s routine exercise. You stand in the nets and talk to the players, stay focused and try to give your best shot when you take the field.”

Along with all the top officials Tiffin constantly analyses the decisions he is making to see if he can improve and also maintains a spreadsheet of those decisions on his laptop for the same purpose.

As for a career highlight, a modest Taufel responded: "For me it is not really about this game or that game. I think I am just lucky to be involved and for that to have happened I have to thank the coaches, family and friends who have helped get me this far.

“However, I would like to mention the tri-series in Singapore immediately after Sri Lanka won the ICC Cricket World Cup as one of my most memorable events because it was my first posting as a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires. Of course, the three-match series between Pakistan and Australia in 2002 is also one of the highlights of my career.”

Tiffin receives a crystal plaque to mark his achievement from Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

Australia’s Simon Taufel is the youngest umpire so far to reach 100 ODIs – he was 35 when he achieved it – while the umpire with most appearances is South Africa’s Rudi Koertzen who has so far stood in 182 matches.

Most appearances by umpires (as of 7 December 2007):