The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday named Pakistan’s Aleem Dar, Ahsan Raza in the 20 match officials for the First Round and Super 12s stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
In total, 16 umpires would officiate across the tournament with Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Kumara Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus having been the umpires in charge of the 2021 final which saw this year’s hosts claim their first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title, said a press release.
It is an experienced group of umpires, with the same 16 selected as last year’s tournament which was held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Chief Referee of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, Ranjan Madugalle, was part of a quartet of former international cricketers who make up the match referees for the eighth edition of the T20 World Cup. Sri Lankan Madugalle was joined by Andrew Pycroft of Zimbabwe, England’s Christopher Broad and Australian David Boon.
Pycroft would take charge of the tournament opener in Geelong on 16 October when Sri Lanka takes on Namibia in the First round with Joel Wilson and Rodney Tucker the umpires in the middle. Paul Reiffel will act as the TV umpire with Erasmus, occupying the role of the fourth umpire.
Erasmus, Tucker and Aleem Dar were all set to appear in their seventh ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with Langton Rusere umpiring in his second World Cup of the year having stood in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, including acting as reserve umpire for the final.
Rusere would be the TV umpire in place when Australia and New Zealand kick off the Super 12 round on 22 October in Sydney. The match was a replay of the 2021 final and Rusere would be joined by Adrian Holdstock and Dharmasena (on-field) and Richard Illingworth (fourth umpire).
Officials have been named for the entirety of the First Round and Super 12s, with the selections for the semi-finals and final of the tournament to be named in due course.
Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager Umpires and Referees said, “This group are the very best from around the world and whilst it is a very challenging job with the eyes of the cricketing community focused on every decision, we know they will do an outstanding job and wish them the very best of luck.”
Match Officials at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022- Match Referees: Andrew Pycroft, Christopher Broad, David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle.
Umpires: Adrian Holdstock, Aleem Dar, Ahsan Raza, Christopher Brown, Christopher Gaffaney, Joel Wilson, Kumara Dharmasena, Langton Rusere, Marais Erasmus, Michael Gough, Nitin Menon, Paul Reiffel, Paul Wilson, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Rodney.—APP
