Historic Moment at T20 World Cup: Umpires Announced for Tournament Opener
Shahid Saikat is set to create a milestone for Bangladesh as he is appointed to officiate the inaugural match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 on 1 June between USA and Canada. This will make Saikat the first Bangladeshi umpire to officiate at the esteemed T20I men’s event.
Saikat’s impressive portfolio includes officiating five matches at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, and being a part of the panel for two ICC Women’s Cricket World Cups and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2018.
Accompanying Saikat for the opening match will be Richard Illingworth, the reigning and three-time recipient of the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year. Richie Richardson will serve as the match referee for the tournament opener, with Sam Nogajski named the TV umpire and Langton Rusere as the fourth umpire.
Alongside Nogajski, four other officials – Rashid Riaz, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Allahudien Paleker, and Asif Yaqoob – will make their senior men’s tournament debuts next month.
Richard Illingworth and Shahid Saikat walk out to officiate the CWC23 match between South Africa and Sri Lanka // Getty Images
Match Officials for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024:
Umpires: Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Allahudien Paleker, Richard Kettleborough, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, Ahsan Raza, Rashid Riaz, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Shahid Saikat, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Asif Yaqoob.
Match referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath.
‘Out of this World’ by Sean Paul and Kes: The official ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 anthem