ICC umpires list for the 2023 World Cup is officially announced. As many as 16 umpires will officiate the tournament. Of the 16, 12 belong to the ICC’s elite list, while four are from the Emerging Panel of Umpires. We will take a close look at these 16 names.
ICC Umpires List
The ICC has named 16 officials for the 2023 World Cup in India. The list includes some of the most experienced and best umpires in international cricket. Nitin Menon is the only Indian in the 16-men officials’ list.
The following are the 12 names in the Elite Panel:
- Christopher Gaffaney (New Zealand)
- Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka)
- Marais Erasmus (South Africa)
- Michael Gough (England)
- Nitin Menon (India)
- Paul Reiffel (Australia)
- Richard Illingworth (England)
- Richard Kettleborough (England)
- Rodney Tucker (Australia)
- Joel Wilson (West Indies)
- Ahsan Raza (Pakistan)
- Adrian Holdstock (South Africa).
And here are the four officials in the ICC Emerging Panel list:
- Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (Bangladesh),
- Paul Wilson (Australia)
- Alex Wharf (England)
- Chris Brown (New Zealand).
WC 2023 Umpires List | Elite Panel
The Elite Panel has umpires who are familiar names in international cricket. Marais Erasmus and Kumar Dharmasena, the on-field umpires in the 2019 World Cup final, feature in the ICC Umpires list in the upcoming World Cup.
We look briefly at the 12 umpires from the Elite Panel:
Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand):
The ex-New Zealand international officiated 80 ODIs. The 47-year-old was one of the on-field umpires in the 2023 ICC World Test championship final.
Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka):
The former Sri Lankan cricketer, who has won an ODI World Cup with the island nation, has umpired over 100 ODIs. He is among the most popular names in the 2023 World Cup ICC Umpires list.
Marais Erasmus (South Africa):
Like Dharmasena, the 59-year-old South African has plenty of experience under his belt. Since 2007, Erasmus has umpired in 116 ODIs.
Michael Gough (England):
The Hartlepool-born former first-class cricketer has officiated close to 100 ODI. Gough courted controversy when he breached the bio bubble during the 2021 T20 World Cup in Australia.
Nitin Menon (India):
The 39-year-old, hailing from Indore, Nitin Menon, is the only Indian on the 2023 World Cup umpires list. Nitin, who played two List A games for Madhya Pradesh, has umpired in 48 matches.
Paul Reiffel (Australia):
The World Cup winner with Australia has tons of umpiring experience. Reiffel, who has officiated over 80 ODIs, was the reserve umpire in the 2022 T20 World Cup final.
Richard Illingworth (England):
The former England international is one of the prominent names in the ICC umpires list in the upcoming World Cup. Illingworth has umpired in 81 ODIs since 2010 and won the ICC Umpire of the Year award in 2022.
Richard Kettleborough (England):
The 50-year-old Englishman made his umpiring debut in 2006 and was promoted to the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires in 2011. He is three short of reaching 100-mark in ODIs.
Rod Tucker (Australia):
fter playing first-class cricket for more than ten years, Tucker took to umpiring and quickly rose through the ranks. He officiated in the 2016 T20 World Cup final and was the TV umpire in the 2019 World Cup final.
Joel Wilson (West Indies):
The only Elite Panel umpire from the West Indies in the 2003 World Cup ICC Umpires list, Wilson stood up in as many as 85 ODIs since making his debut in 2011. In 2019, he was inducted into the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.
Ahsan Raza (Pakistan):
The 49-year-old is the lone Pakistan official in the ICC umpires list for the World Cup in India. Raza, who has officiated in 45 ODIs, is the first to reach 50-mark in T20 internationals.
Adrian Holdstock (South Africa):
In March 2023, Holdstock, along with Raza, was promoted to ICC’s elite panel of Umpires. The South African has plenty of umpiring experience, as he has officiated nearly 50 ODIs.
Dharmasena and Nitin will be the on-field umpires in the opening match of the 2023 World Cup between England and New Zealand.
WC 2023 Umpires List | Emerging Panel
The Emerging Panel is the second tier of umpires, and the ICC often promotes umpires from here to the Elite Panel. In the upcoming World Cup ICC Umpires list, four names feature in the Emerging Panel.
We look briefly at the four umpires from the Emerging Panel who will officiate in the 2023 World Cup:
Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (Bangladesh):
The 46-year-old from Dhaka has stood in more than 50 ODIs. He is the first umpire from Bangladesh to officiate over 100 international matches.
Paul Wilson (Australia):
The former Australia international has officiated in plenty of international games since 2014. He was part of the ICC umpires list in the 2019 World Cup in England.
Alex Wharf (England):
Among the 16 umpires, Wharf is the most inexperienced. He has stood in 18 ODIs and was the reserve umpire in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.
Chris Brown (New Zealand):
Like Wharf, Brown has umpired in only a few ODIs so far. However, he has big tournament experience, officiating in the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
The ICC match referees for the 2023 World Cup are Javagal Srinath (India), Richie Richardson (West Indies), Jeff Crowe (New Zealand), and Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe).
Concluding Thoughts
ICC has world-class umpires on its list, but all eyes will be on the Emerging Panel of Umpires, who may find themselves in the Elite Panel of Umpires in the 2027 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, all these umpires will need to perform their roles to perfection as the ODI World Cup 2023 is one of the biggest tournaments, and the margin of error will be low.
FAQs about ICC Umpires List
1-Are there any Indians in the ICC umpires list for the 2023 World Cup?
Nitin Menon is the only Indian in the ICC umpires list for the 2023 World Cup.
2-Is Kumar Dharmasena on the ICC umpires list for the upcoming World Cup?
Kumar Dharmasena is part of the 16-member ICC umpires list for the 2023 World Cup.
3-Who will be the umpires in the India-Pakistan match in the 2023 World Cup?
The ICC is yet to announce the list of match officials for the India-Pakistan match. In the 2019 World Cup, Marais Erasmus and Bruce Oxenford were the on-field umpires.
Star it if you find it helpful.
