Nitin Menon, India’s only representative in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, has opted out of officiating in the upcoming Champions Trophy, scheduled to begin on February 19. The ICC did not make a statement regarding Menon's decision after revealing the list of officials. An Indian cricket board (BCCI) source told PTI that Menon decided against travelling to Pakistan and pulled out due to personal reasons. "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.
The ICC released the list of match officials for the tournament on Wednesday. The panel includes 15 officials, comprising three match referees and 12 umpires. The tournament will be held across three venues in Pakistan—Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. India will play all its matches in Dubai. The tournament is set to conclude with the final on March 9.
Under ICC rules, Menon could have officiated in India’s matches in Dubai, as neutral umpires are required for games between teams from the same country.
The three match referees appointed for the tournament are Australian legend David Boon, Sri Lankan great Ranjan Madugalle, and Zimbabwe’s Andrew Pycroft. Boon and Madugalle both have prior experience officiating in Champions Trophy finals, with Boon having been part of the 2017 final and Madugalle officiating in the 2013 final. Pycroft also officiated in the 2017 tournament.
The 12 umpires include six returning officials from the 2017 Champions Trophy. Richard Kettleborough, a veteran of 108 ODIs and the umpire in the final of the 2017 tournament, leads the group. He will be joined by Chris Gaffaney, Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Illingworth, Paul Reiffel, and Rod Tucker. Dharmasena will extend his record of officiating 132 ODIs, marking a notable achievement for Sri Lanka’s top umpire.
The full list of match officials for the Champions Trophy includes:
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.
