Nitin Menon, India's sole member in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Elite Panel of Umpires, has reportedly withdrawn from officiating in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan beginning in February 2025 citing personal reasons. (More Cricket News)
On Wednesday (February 5), the ICC named a list of 15 match officials, comprising three match referees and 12 umpires for the upcoming big-ticket tournament, slated to start in Karachi on February 19 with the final on March 9.
Sri Lanka's Ranjan Madugalle, Australia's David Boon and Zimbabwe's Andrew Pycroft were announced as match referees for the eight-team tournament.
The Champions Trophy will be held at three venues in Pakistan -- Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi -- while India will play all their matches in Dubai owing to security concerns, beginning with a face-off against neighbouring rivals Bangladesh on February 20.
"The ICC wanted to put him (Menon) on the Champions Trophy roster. But he decided against travelling to Pakistan due to personal reasons," a PTI report quoted a BCCI source as saying. Menon could not have officiated in the matches in Dubai as the ICC follows the policy of appointing neutral umpires. The world body did not comment on Menon's opting out in its statement to unveil the list of officials.
All the three match referees selected for the tournament are experienced. Boon has featured in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, while Madugalle is back after officiating in the 2013 final. Pycroft also featured in the 2017 tournament.
"A distinguished panel of 12 umpires will officiate the eight-team event, with six returning officials from the 2017 edition, including Richard Kettleborough, who stood in the final of the previous Champions Trophy in the UK," the ICC said in a media release.
Kettleborough, a veteran of 108 ODIs, will be joined by fellow umpires Chris Gaffaney, Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Illingworth, Paul Reiffel, and Rod Tucker, who also officiated in the 2017 tournament. "Dharmasena will be extending his stint of officiating 132 ODIs at the upcoming tournament, a record for an umpire from Sri Lanka in the One-Day format," the release added.
Kettleborough and Illingworth, who both stood together during the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad, will be joined by Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Ahsan Raza, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Alex Wharf, and Joel Wilson. All of them officiated at the World Cup in India.
ICC's senior manager (umpires and referees), Sean Easey, said the extensive experience of the match officials will provide high-quality games. "We always strive to appoint the most deserving officials for such prestigious events, and we are confident that this group will do an outstanding job in both Pakistan and the UAE. We wish them all the best for a memorable tournament," he said.
Match Officials: Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson.
Match Referees: David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft.
(With PTI inputs)
