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Cricket PlayersNitin Menon, India's ICC elite panel umpire, decides against travelling to Pakistan; opts out of Champions Trophy
ICC wanted to put Nitin Menon's name on the list, but he opted out of travelling to Pakistan.
Nitin Menon, India's only representative in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, on Wednesday opted out of the impending Champions Trophy, which will begin on February 19. He decided against travelling to Pakistan for personal reasons.
On Wednesday, the ICC revealed the names of 15 match officials, including three match referees and 12 umpires, for the Champions Trophy. The tournament will be played at three venues in Pakistan—Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi—while India will play all its matches in Dubai. The fixtures are slated to commence on February 19, with the final on March 9.
Australian legend David Boon, Sri Lankan great Ranjan Madugalle, and Zimbabwe's Andrew Pycroft were named match referees for the eight-team tournament. According to a report in the PTI, the ICC wanted to put Menon's name on the list, but he opted out of travelling to Pakistan.
"The ICC wanted to put him (Menon) on the Champions Trophy roster. But he decided against travelling to Pakistan due to personal reasons," a BCCI source told PTI.
Menon could have officiated India's matches in Dubai owing to ICC's rule of having neutral umpires. Meanwhile, the apex body did not make a statement on Menon's act after they revealed the list of officials.
Who are the match officials for ICC Champions Trophy?
The three match referees include - Boon, who featured in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, Madugalle, who is back after officiating the 2013 final, and Pycroft, who was part of the 2017 tournament as well.
"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 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."
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.
