U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup officials confirmed
The line-up includes 16 umpires and four match referees.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the line-up of 20 match officials appointed for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024, which will run from January 19 to February 11.
An experienced roster of 16 umpires and four match referees were selected to officiate the competition, overseeing 41 matches that will feature the best young cricketers on the planet.
Match official appointments were also confirmed for the initial group stage fixtures, which include an accomplished team taking charge of the opening match between hosts South Africa and another former U19 champion nation, West Indies, in Potchefstroom on January 19.
The on-field umpires for the fixture will be Roland Black (Ireland) and Gazi Sohel (Bangladesh). Black will officiate his third U19 Men’s CWC, while Sohel’s international career stretches back to 2012.
Former Sri Lanka international cricketer Graeme Labrooy will be the match referee for the clash in his sixth appearance at the event.
Completing the line-up of officials for the hosts’ opener will be TV umpire Rashid Riaz Waqar of Pakistan and Bismillah Jan Shinwari of Afghanistan as the fourth umpire.
The next day, January 20, will see defending champions India face Bangladesh in Bloemfontein in a repeat of the blockbuster 2020 final.
Australia’s Donovan Koch and the West Indies’ Nigel Duguid will take charge of that fixture, with Zimbabwe’s Langton Rusere as fourth umpire and the South African duo of Allahudien Palekar as TV umpire and Shaid Wadvalla as match referee.
Palekar will be one of two umpires from the host nation appearing at the U19 Men’s CWC with Bongani Jele. Both have enjoyed international careers spanning over a decade.
India’s KNA Padmanabhan will join Jele as the on-field umpires for the first East London fixture between Pakistan and Afghanistan. India’s Narayanan Kutty will be the match referee for a tie, with Australia’s Phil Gillespie and Zimbabwe’s Forster Mutizwa as TV umpire and fourth umpire, respectively.
Elsewhere, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will play the first fixture at Kimberley on January 21. Mike Burns and Patrick Gustard will officiate on the field, Masudur Rahman Mukul of Bangladesh will assume the role of TV umpire, Faisal Khan Afridi of Pakistan will be the fourth umpire, and England’s Wayne Noon will be the match referee.
A schedule of the match official appointments for the group stage fixtures is available on the ICC’s online media zone, with the appointments for later stages announced in due course.
Match officials for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup
Umpires: Bismillah Jan Shinwari, Donovan Koch, Phil Gillespie, Gazi Sohel, Masudur Rahman Mukul, Mike Burns, KNA Padmanabhan, Roland Black, Faisal Khan Afridi, Rashid Riaz Waqar, Allahudien Palekar, Bongani Jele, Patrick Gustard, Nigel Duguid, Langton Rusere and Forster Mutizwa.
Match referees: Graeme Labrooy, Shaid Wadvalla, Narayanan Kutty and Wayne Noon.
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