India’s only representative in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, Nitin Menon, has opted out of the upcoming Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19, due to personal reasons. The governing body on Wednesday, February 5, announced the 12 umpires and three match referees for the mega tournament, and as per reports, Menon was supposed to be named in the list before he pulled out of it.
A source close to BCCI informed PTI regarding the reason behind Menon’s decision. He explained that the 41-year-old decided against the idea of travelling to Pakistan for the tournament and for the same reason, he pulled out of it.
“The ICC wanted to put him (Menon) on the Champions Trophy roster. But he decided against travelling to Pakistan due to personal reasons,” said the BCCI source.
In the meantime, Menon wouldn’t have been allowed to be part of the Dubai leg of the tournament. ICC strictly follows the policy of appointing neutral umpires and since India will feature in every game that will be played in Dubai, Menon decided to opt out. ICC officials noted the development but refrained from commenting on the matter.
Match officials and referees finalised for Champions Trophy
ICC named experienced match officials and referees for the Champions Trophy. Richard Kettleborough and Richard Illingworth, who officiated in the 2023 ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup 2024 finals will feature alongside seniors such as Kumar Dharamsena, Michael Gough, Chris Gaffney and Paul Reiffel among others.
David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle, and Andrew Pycroft have been named as match referees. India’s Javagal Srinath to miss the tournament.
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.