New Delhi: Indian umpire Nitin Menon has excused himself from travelling to Pakistan as part of the International Cricket Council’s elite panel to officiate in Champions Trophy matches, citing “personal reasons”.
He was not included in the ICC’s 15-member list of match officials that has three match referees and 12 umpires for the mega tournament that will begin in Karachi on February 19.
Former Australia batter David Boon, ex-Sri Lanka willower Ranjan Madugalle and Zimbabwe’s Andrew Pycroft were chosen for as match referees for the eight-team competition that will be held three venues of Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
India have refused to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns and will play all their matches in Dubai, beginning their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20.
“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 was quoted as saying by PTI.
ICC yet to comment on Menon’s absence
Since the ICC appoints neutral umpires in match, Menon was automatically ruled out of officiating in India’s matches. The world body is yet to comment on his withdrawal from the tournament.
“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 statement.
Kettleborough accompanies Chris Gaffaney, Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Illingworth, Paul Reiffel, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Ahsan Raza, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Rod Tucker as umpires.
“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,” the ICC said.
“We always strive to appoint the most deserving officials for such prestigious events, and we are confident that this group will do an outstanding job in both Pakistan and the UAE. We wish them all the best for a memorable tournament,” ICC’s senior manager (umpires and referees), Sean Easey, said.
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.
Nitin Menon was not included in the ICC’s 15-member list of match officials that has three match referees and 12 umpires for the Champions Trophy that will begin in Karachi on February 19. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
