Chris Gaffaney - his police training will come in handy during the Ashes series. Photo: Photosport
Dealing with domestic incidents when a policeman will stand New Zealand cricket umpire Chris Gaffaney in good stead when it comes to maintaining order between England and Australia during the upcoming Ashes series.
The 39-year-old former Otago player is due to act as third umpire in the opening two matches of the series which begins with next week's First Test in Cardiff, before standing in the middle during the Third Test in Birmingham.
Gaffaney played 83 first-class matches for Otago before swapping his bat for a ball counter and was added to the International Cricket Council's elite panel last month.
There has been plenty of speculation about the amount of 'sledging' or verbal abuse of opposition players that might take place during a highly-charged series but Gaffaney is ready to step in should the need arise.
Gaffaney believes the skills he picked up in police work correlate to umpiring, helping to manage the game.
He says "it can get heated, it's just like going to a domestic on a police job, you need to know when to listen, when to speak and when to watch them and let them play."
