Simon Taufel of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires is today standing in his 150th One-Day International as he takes charge of the West Indies versus Zimbabwe in St Vincent, joining an exclusive club of officials who have been involved in that many matches.

Taufel (39) made his international debut on 13 January 1999 in a match between Australia and Sri Lanka in Sydney and since then has gone on to become one of the game’s most respected officials, also standing in 61 Tests so far.

A member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires for seven years, he stood in the 2003 and 2007 ICC Cricket World Cups and was named Umpire of the Year at the LG ICC Awards in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Taufel has also stood in such high-profile events as the ICC Champions Trophy, ICC World Twenty20 and the Johnnie Walker Super Series Test match between Australia and the ICC World XI in Sydney in October 2005.

“I feel very fortunate to be doing something I really love within our great sport and I am lucky to have such a great support team behind me, led by my wife and family,” said Taufel.

“Umpiring is essentially a mental exercise. For me it’s about being mentally fit and keeping at the top of my game. There is also a strong team aspect to umpiring and I am grateful to my umpiring colleagues for their support over the years,” he said.

“I am also very thankful for the opportunities provided to me over the years by Cricket New South Wales, Cricket Australia and the ICC. For me umpiring is about giving back to the sport and having a good match rather than any particular milestone – I go out to enjoy every match I stand in and do my best.”

Commenting on the milestone, ICC Umpires’ and Referees’ Manager Vince van der Bijl said: “Simon’s achievement is testament to his remarkable consistency and enormous ability as a decision-maker. He is the ultimate professional who constantly strives to improve his performances.

“He’s an excellent role-model for modern aspiring umpires. He’s setting new standards in officiating and his contribution to the game extends way beyond his performances on the field.

“He has proved himself to be resilient, dependable and dedicated with a great feel for and understanding of the game, all qualities that are needed to make it to the top of his profession. He has been an outstanding umpire for many years now.”

Umpires who have stood in 100 or more ODIs (correct to close of play on 10 March, 2010):

Rudi Koertzen            204

Steve Bucknor            181

David Shepherd          172

Daryl Harper               161

Simon Taufel               150

Billy Bowden              143

Darrell Hair                 139

Aleem Dar                   127

Russell Tiffin              111

David Orchard            107

Asoka de Silva            100

Steve Dunne               100