Elite Umpires and Referees announced for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India

Nitin Menon, a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, and Javagal Srinath, part of the Elite Panel of Match Referees, are among the 20 match officials selected for the league stage of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The tournament is scheduled to kick off in India on October 5.

For the league stage, 16 umpires will be in action, including all 12 members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and four representatives from the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel.

The Elite Panel of ICC Umpires consists of Christopher Gaffaney (New Zealand), Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka), Marais Erasmus (South Africa), Michael Gough (England), Nitin Menon (India), Paul Reiffel (Australia), Richard Illingworth (England), Richard Kettleborough (England), Rodney Tucker (Australia), Joel Wilson (West Indies), Ahsan Raza (Pakistan), and Adrian Holdstock (South Africa).

The remaining four officials are from the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel, namely Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (Bangladesh), Paul Wilson (Australia), Alex Wharf (England), and Chris Brown (New Zealand).

Notably, three of the four umpires who officiated the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 final at Lord’s will be present at the 2023 World Cup league stage – Dharmasena, Erasmus, and Tucker. Aleem Dar, the fourth official from the 2019 final, is not part of the Elite Panel as of March this year.

The ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees will be represented by former international cricketers Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Richie Richardson, and Javagal Srinath.

Srinath will oversee the opening match of the tournament between the previous edition’s finalists, England and New Zealand, on October 5 in Ahmedabad. The on-field umpires for this match will be Menon and Dharmasena, with Paul Wilson as the TV umpire and Saikat serving as the fourth umpire.

The officials have been appointed for the entire league segment of the tournament, with the selections for the semi-finals and final to be announced later.

Wasim Khan, ICC General Manager of Cricket, expressed satisfaction with the group of officials assembled for the tournament, emphasizing the need for high-performing individuals at every level to ensure the event’s success.

Sean Easey, ICC Manager of Umpires and Referees, expressed confidence in the chosen officials and wished them the best for what promises to be a memorable World Cup.

-IANS