MUMBAI: Indian umpire Nitin Menon will not be officiating in the ICC Champions Trophy, which will be held in Dubai/Pakistan from Feb 19 to March 9, after he refused to travel top Pakistan citing ‘personal reasons’.
“Menon has refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy citing ‘personal reasons.’ Obviously, he can’t be officiating in India’s matches in Dubai, as the tournament rules stipulate neutral umpires and match referees. Hence, his missing from the Champions Trophy,” a reliable source tracking developments closely told TOI.
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Menon’s name is missing from a list of 12 umpires that the International Cricket Council announced on Wednesday, who will take charge of the proceedings in the eight-team global tournament to be played in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi in Pakistan and Dubai in the UAE.
Questions in this regard remained unanswered by the International Cricket Council, while Menon too remained unavailable for comment.
Richard Kettleborough, a veteran of 108 Men’s ODIs, and who stood in the final of the last edition played in the United Kingdom in 2017, is among six umpires who return for another Champions Trophy.
Chris Gaffaney, Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Illingworth, Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker, all members of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, are others who also featured in 2017.
Kettleborough and Illingworth, who stood together for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad, are joined by Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Ahsan Raza, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Alex Wharf and Joel Wilson, all of whom officiated at the World Cup in India.
David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle and Andrew Pycroft, all members of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, comprise the three-member team of referees.
Boon was referee in the 2017 Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan, while Pycroft also officiated in the tournament. Madugalle returns after officiating the 2013 CT final between India and England.
Sean Easey, ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees, said: “We are pleased to announce our panel of match officials for the upcoming Men’s Champions Trophy. This is a credentialled officiating team whose expertise will be valuable in this high-profile tournament.
“We always try to name the most suitable and deserving officials for any event, and we are confident this group will do a fine job across the matches in Pakistan and the UAE. I wish them all the best and hope they have a memorable tournament.”
List of CT 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.