Saikat and Illingworth to Officiate in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Opener
In a historic first, Shahid Saikat will become the inaugural Bangladeshi umpire to officiate at an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He will be on the field for the tournament’s opening match between USA and Canada.
47-year-old Saikat has an impressive track record, having officiated five matches at last year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. He has also been a part of the panel at two ICC Women’s Cricket World Cups and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2018.
Joining Saikat on the opening night will be Richard Illingworth, a three-time winner of the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year. Illingworth was also in charge of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Final between India and Australia last year.
The match referee in Dallas will be Richie Richardson, with Sam Nogajski serving as the TV umpire and Langton Rusere as the fourth umpire.
Nogajski is among five umpires making their senior men’s tournament debut in June. Rashid Riaz will make his first appearance in the second match of the tournament, between Papua New Guinea and West Indies in Guyana. This match will also mark a milestone for match referee Andy Pycroft, who will officiate his 150th T20I.
Jayaraman Madanagopal will make his debut later that day when Namibia and Oman face off in Barbados.
Allahudien Paleker’s first of four on-field group games will be between USA and Pakistan, while fellow debutant Asif Yaqoob will join Nitin Menon for England’s match against Scotland.
Illingworth and Rodney Tucker will officiate the highly anticipated Group A clash between India and Pakistan on June 9.
Other experienced officials returning for more World Cup action include Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Richard Kettleborough, and Joel Wilson. The appointments for the knockout stage will be announced at a later date.
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.