Saikat to officiate in ICC Champions Trophy

Bangladesh umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat will be officiating in the ICC Champions Trophy along with 11 other umpires, the International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed in a press release on Wednesday.

The tournament will be held in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from February 19 to March 9.
Earlier, Saikat officiated some matches in the ICC ODI World Cup in 2023 and the T20 World Cup in 2024. He, however, had recently included as ICC Elite Panel Umpire.
A team of 12 umpires will take charge of the proceedings in the eight-team tournament to be played in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi in Pakistan and Dubai in the UAE, the release added.

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 final while Pycroft also officiated in the tournament. Madugalle returns after officiating the 2013 final.

Sean Easey, ICC Senior Manager-- Umpires and Referees: "We are pleased to announce our panel of match officials for the upcoming Men's Champions Trophy. This is a credentialed 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."

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf and Joel Wilson Match Referees: David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle and Andrew Pycroft. �BSS