![[sanjeev_]](/blosxom/English/Menu/Media/sanjeev_.jpg) | Sanjeev Kad, welcome to the first CricketFinland.com interview. You are the first umpire from Finland to be appointed to the European Elite Umpiring Panel, what does this panel do and what are you looking forward to? |
A. The introduction of 'ICC European Elite Umpire's Panel' along with 'ICC European Umpire's Panel' this year by ECC is an extension of ICC policy on Umpire's panels and sits directly below the full international 'ICC Elite Umpire's Panel' & 'ICC Associate and Affiliate Umpire's Panel'. The 'ICC European Umpire's Panel' is the entry level panel for all the European umpires and is open to those umpires who fulfil certain criteria & are nominated by their country board. On the other hand, the 'ICC European Elite Umpire's Panel' is the highest level that the ECC can offer and umpires on this panel are promoted from the 'ICC European Umpire's Panel'. In a way, these two European Umpire's panels are a stepping stone for European umpires to get elevated to the full ICC Umpire's panels.
Personally, I feel very happy, proud and honoured to have got the opportunity to serve as an umpire on the 'ICC European Elite Umpire's Panel'. In the short term, I am looking forward to doing well in the coming season. In the long term, I aspire, of course, to get elevated to the full ICC Umpire's panel.
Q. What brought you to Finland and how did you become an umpire here?
A. In 1988, my schoolmate and friend from India, who was living in Helsinki at that time, invited me to visit him. It was summer-time in Finland and was very beautiful all around. In the the following year I decided to move to Finland. I came in contact with cricket for the first time in the year 1995 when I joined Helsinki Cricket Club (HCC). Between 1995 - 1999, I was in contact with the game predominantly as a player, even though I used to officiate few matches, here and there as an umpire. In the year 1999, Finnish Cricket Association (FCA) came into being and Cricket became an organised sport for the first time in Finland. This was the year when I started umpiring more actively. Then with the encourgement from David Scamans (who was in charge of Umpiring at the FCA at that time), I took up my first Umpire's Introductory course organised by ECC in the year 2000. So I can say that my Pro-active umpiring career started in the year 2000. I have done lots of ECC tournaments since then in addition to the Finnish League. In addition, with more encouragement from ECC and David, I also passed ACU&S Part I exam in 2001 and ACU&S Overseas in 2003.
Q. How has Cricket in Finland changed since you first became involved here?
A. Well, as I have already mentioned above, I came into contact with cricket in Finland in 1995. The cricket at that time was mainly a way to socialise. There used to be mainly 'friendly' matches between teams from Helsinki, Turku & Tampere. Occasionally there used to be teams from Sweden and Estonia as well. Since then, Cricket in Finland has come a long-way. Cricket became organised in the year 1999 when Finnish Cricket Association (FCA) came into being. FCA has done a lot of work over the years to promote Cricket in Finland but a lot of work still has to be done.
Q. Do you have any advice to those people considering becoming an umpire?
A. Well, the first advice for umpiring aspirants will be for them to think of umpiring as an enjoyable hobby and consider it to be an excellent way to keep oneself in touch with the game of Cricket. Secondly, as it is with everything else in life, to be a good and successful umpire, one has to put a lot of patient-focussed hard work into it.
Q. Finally, who do you think will win the World Cup this year?
A. Ideally, from the perspective of development of cricket, I would like Ireland, an associate member of ICC, to win the World Cup, but for that to happen, something more than a miracle will be required. However, realistically speaking, looking at the form and the way the teams are performing, I believe that Australia will win the World Cup, 3rd time in a row.
Thankyou Sanjeev.
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