Indian umpire Nitin Menon has been picked to officiate in the iconic Ashes in England in June-July this year.

Menon, the only Indian in the ICC elite panel of umpires, will be the on-field umpire in the third and fourth Ashes Tests between England and Australia.

“He will be officiating in the Ashes,” a BCCI official told PTI.

While the third Test will be played at Headingley from July 6-10, Manchester will host the fourth Test from July 19-23.

Nitin Menon will play the role of third umpire in the fifth and final Test, slated to be held at the Oval in London from July 27-31.

His on-field partners at Headingley and Old Trafford will be Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena and Trinidad’s Joel Wilson, respectively.

Menon could have officiated in the 2021-22 Ashes Down Under had it not been for COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the ICC to use home umpires.

“My dream series will be Ashes without a doubt. That is the only series I watch on TV. The atmosphere, the way the series is fought, is something I want be involved in. Whether in England or Australia I would love to be part of it,” Menon had told PTI after being inducted into the elite panel back in 2020.

So far, Nitin Menon has officiated in 18 Tests, 42 ODIs and 40 T20s. He is currently performing the umpiring duties in the IPL 2023 season.

(With IPL Inputs)