Indian umpire Anil Chaudhary was revealed in the list of umpires that will be officiating in the upcoming ICC U19 World Cup to be held in South Africa from January 17. He is the lone Indian official named in the list of 19 match officials.
He will be one of the 16 umpires who will be officiating during the tournament. 54-year-old Chaudhary has so far officiated in 20 ODIs and 27 T20 Internationals including the ongoing series between India and Sri Lanka and has been part of multiple U-19 World Cups.
As per ICC media release, Ian Gould, who retired from officiating in senior international cricket during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, will stand in the first match featuring defending champions India and Sri Lanka in Bloemfontein.
In all, 16 umpires from 12 different countries will be on the field for five matches each in the first stage of the U19 World Cup, with eight also performing the role of TV umpire. The ICC named three-match referees for the tournament, with former Sri Lanka seamer Graeme Labrooy to officiate alongside South Africa's Shaid Wadvalla and England's Phil Whitticase.
Wayne Knights and Ravindra Wimalasiri will take charge of the opening match between hosts South Africa and Afghanistan at Kimberley on January 17. Rashid Riaz Waqar will be the TV umpire for the first of 48 games in the tournament.
"The U19 Cricket World Cup is a very important event in our calendar as it brings together the world's most promising young players in a major ICC tournament, giving them the experience of competing on the global stage. We are committed to appointing the finest officials available and I have confidence in the team traveling to South Africa for the U19 Cricket World Cup they will do a fine job. I wish them all the best,” ICC Senior Manager (Umpires and Referees), Adrian Griffith said.
Umpire and match referee appointments for the knockout stages will be announced after the teams will be confirmed. The appointments for the Plate and Super League final will be finalized after the semi-finals.
List of officials for the ICC U19 World Cup 2020:
Umpires: Roland Black, Ahmad Shah Pakteen, Sam Nogajski, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Ian Gould, Wayne Knights, Rashid Riaz Waqar, Anil Chaudhary, Patrick Bongani Jele, Iknow Chabi, Nigel Duguid, Ravindra Wimalasiri, Masudur Rahman Mukul, Asif Yaqoob, Leslie Reifer, Adrian Holdstock
Match Referees: Graeme Labrooy, Shaid Wadvalla, Phil Whitticase.
(PTI inputs)
