ICC U-19 World Cup: Two Indians named among 16 umpires and 4 match referees

One umpire and one match referee from India have made it to the list prepared by the ICC for the tournament that begins on January 19 in South Africa

Umpire K.N.A. Padmanabhan and match referee Narayanan Kutty are the only two Indians part of the 20-member roster of umpires and match-referees for the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2024, announced on Wednesday, January 10 by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The Under-19 World Cup will begin on January 19 in South Africa after Sri Lanka Cricket was banned in November and the tournament was transferred to the Rainbow nation. The first match will be played between the hosts South Africa and former champion West Indies. It will be officiated on-field by Roland Black (Ireland) and Gazi Sohel (Bangladesh).

A total of 41 matches will be officiated upon by 16 umpires and four match referees. Defending champions India will begin their campaign against 2020 champion Bangladesh in a repeat of the blockbuster 2020 final where the junior Tigers beat the Blue Colts in a tense final.

 

The match will be played on January 20 and will be officiated by Australia’s Donovan Koch and West Indies’ Nigel Duguid as on-field umpires. Allahudien Palekar of South Africa will be the third umpire while his compatriot Shaid Wadvalla will be the match-referee. Zimbabwe’s Langton Rusere will be the fourth umpire of the match.

ICC Manager - Umpires and Referees, Sean Easey, while speaking after the announcement said, “The U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is an important development event for the umpire pathway. A diverse and motivated team of international match officials has been appointed, and I am confident that they will do an excellent job. I wish them the very best of luck across their time in South Africa.”

Match Officials at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024

Umpires: Bismillah Jan Shinwari, Donovan Koch, Phil Gillespie, Gazi Sohel, Masudur Rahman Mukul, Mike Burns, K.N.A. Padmanabhan, Roland Black, Faisal Khan Afridi, Rashid Riaz Waqar, Allahudien Palekar, Bongani Jele, Patrick Gustard, Nigel Duguid, Langton Rusere, Forster Mutizwa

Match Referees: Graeme Labrooy, Shaid Wadvalla, Narayanan Kutty, Wayne Noon