ICC Announces Umpire And Match Referee Appointments For The ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 #WT20

The International Cricket Council today named a 31-member match officials’ team for the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, which runs from 8 March to 3 April.

The strong Playing Control Team includes all the seven and 12 members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, respectively, as well as 10 members of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires and two members of the ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel of International Umpires.

The complete list of match officials is:

Match referees – David Boon, Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Andy Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath

Umpires – Anil Chaudhary, Johan Cloete, Kathy Cross, Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Simon Fry, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Vineet Kulkarni, Nigel Llong, Ranmore Martinesz, CK Nandan, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Claire Polosak, Paul Reiffel, Chettithody Shamshuddin, Ravi Sundaram, Rod Tucker and Joel Wilson.

The umpires’ panel includes two female umpires – New Zealand’s Kathleen Cross and Claire Polosak of Australia. The two were also involved in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 in Thailand.

Their appointments in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2016 comes as the game’s governing body continues to place an important emphasis in recognising that cricket is a game for all, and hopes that this will inspire more women across the globe to become involved in officiating and participating in cricket.

Cross will make history in Chennai on 16 March when she will become the first female umpire to officiate in the ICC World Twenty20 by umpiring in the women’s match featuring Pakistan and Bangladesh along with Anil Chaudhary.

Two days later, Polosak will make her debut at a global event when she will perform on-field duties along with Vineet Kulkarni in the New Zealand-Ireland women’s match in Mohali on 18 March.

Taumarunui born Cross became the first woman to be named in an ICC umpires’ panel when she was added to the ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel of International Umpires in 2014. She has previously umpired in the ICC Women’s World Cups in 2000, 2009 and 2013, the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in 2011 and the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier in 2013 and 2015. In recent years, Kathy has also worked at men’s senior events including the ICC World Cricket League Championship Divisions 3 and 5.

Australian Polosak recently made history when she was appointed as third umpire for the Matador One-Day Cup to become the first female to officiate in a List ‘A’ Australia competition. She was also the youngest official at the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 in Bangkok. Hailing from Goulburn, the high-school science teacher has since progressed to be involved as third umpire in the Queensland versus Cricket Australia XI match in October and as reserve umpire in several domestic matches.

The seven Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees hold a combined experience of 113 ICC World Twenty20 matches between them.

At next month’s event, India’s Javagal Srinath will earn the distinction of referee in the 8 March tournament opener between Zimbabwe and Hong Kong in Nagpur. He will lead the Playing Control Team, which also includes Aleem Dar and Ian Gould as on-field umpires, Marais Erasmus as TV umpire and Richard Illingworth as fourth umpire.

Of the 24 umpires, half will be making their ICC World Twenty20 tournament debuts. These are: Anil Chaudhary, Johan Cloete, Kathleen Cross, Simon Fry, Chris Gaffeney, Michael Gough, Vineet Kulkarni, CK Nandan, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Claire Polosak, Chettithody Shamshuddin and Joel Wilson.

The umpire and match referee appointments for the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 is attached. Appointments for the finals will be announced in due course. The most up to date schedule is available at http://www.icc-cricket.com.

Match officials for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016 announced #U19CWC

The ICC has announced the match officials for the upcoming ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016, to be held from 27 January to 14 February in Bangladesh.

Andy Pycroft of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees along with Devdas Govindjee and Graeme La Brooy from the ICC Regional Referees Panel will be the match referees for the tournament, while the on-field umpires will be drawn from the International Panel of ICC Umpires, and the ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel of International Umpires.

International panel umpires include Ahmad Shahab, Ahsan Raza, Anisur Rahman, Gregory Brathwaite, Chettithody Shamshuddin, Enamul Hoque Moni, Robert Bailey, Nigel Duguid, Adrian Holdstock, Mick Martell, Jeremiah Matibiri, Phillip Jones, Tim Robinson, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Langton Rusere, Raveendra Wimalasiri and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid.

The only umpire from the Associate and Affiliate panel is Ian Ramage.

Chettithody Shamshuddin and Tim Robinson will be the on-field umpires for the tournament opener between host Bangladesh and defending champion South Africa to be played at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chittagong on Wednesday, 27 January. Phillip Jones will be the TV umpires, while Graeme La Brooy will be the match referee.

On the same day at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong, England will take on Fiji. The on-field umpires for this match will be Ahsan Raza and Mick Martell with Devdas Govindjee as the match referee.

Adrian Griffith, ICC’s Senior Manager – Umpires and Referee, said: “The panel for this tournament represents an outstanding cross-section of international officials who are among the most experienced currently standing in international cricket. The players will benefit from the calibre of the match officials, with the game’s best young talent exposed to umpiring and refereeing of a high international standard.”

For all matches, two on-field umpires and a reserve official will be appointed, while for televised matches a TV umpire will also form part of the playing control team. In some of the first round matches, the fourth official will be a local appointment.

Four Players Sanctioned For Breaching The ICC Code of Conduct During Colombo Test

Chandimal and Sharma suspended, Thirimanne and Prasad fined 50 per cent of their match fees

“Their actions cannot be condoned and must be discouraged,” says match referee Andy Pycroft

Three Sri Lanka players and India’s Ishant Sharma have been found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct in two separate incidents during the penultimate day’s play in the third Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo.

Dinesh Chandimal has been handed one Suspension Point* for breaching Article 2.2.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player”.

This means Chandimal will miss Sri Lanka’s next One-Day International, which will be against the West Indies on 1 November at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

The incident happened in the 76th over when Chandimal made deliberate physical contact with Sharma when India’s number-11 batsman was in the middle of a heated exchange with fast bowler Dhammika Prasad.

Just before the contact between Chandimal and Sharma, Lahiru Thirimanne had twice ignored the umpires’ warnings not to get involved in the incident. For their roles in the incident, both Thirimanne and Prasad have been fined 50 per cent of their match fees. The two players were charged under Article 2.1.1, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”.

In a separate incident, which happened in the first over of Sri Lanka’s second innings, Sharma was handed two Suspension Points** for giving a send-off to opener Upul Tharanga.

Sharma was charged under Article 2.1.7, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an international match”.

This was the third time that Sharma been found guilty of giving the dismissed batsman a send-off during this series. Therefore, he has been suspended for his next match and will miss India’s first Test against South Africa in Mohali from 5 November.

If Sharma commits a further breach of Article 2.1.7 within 12 months, it will amount to his fourth offence and, as such, he will face an imposition of eight Suspension Points or a suspension for a fixed period of time ranging between the equivalent of eight Suspension Points and one year.

Commenting on his decisions, Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees said: “Monday’s incidents were not good advertisements for international cricket. These experienced cricketers forgot their fundamental responsibilities of respecting their opponents as well as the umpires, and got involved in incidents which were clearly against the spirit of the game. Their actions cannot be condoned and must be discouraged.

“Chandimal was not directly involved in the incident between Prasad and Sharma, but came into the conflict and made deliberate physical contact with Sharma and, had the umpires not intervened the situation could have escalated.

“As regards Sharma, he had been put on notice after being charged twice for send-offs in the previous Test. Any repeat of this action within the next 12 months will potentially see him suspended for a much longer period.”

Following the conclusion of the Test on Tuesday, the four players admitted the offences and accepted the proposed sanctions. As such, there was no need for formal hearings.

Bailey Suspended For Second Minor Over-Rate Offence

Warner fined 50 per cent of his match fee for conduct contrary to spirit of the game

Australia captain George Bailey has been suspended for one ODI and fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while his players have been fined 10 per cent of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate during Australia’s One-Day International against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the suspension on Bailey after Australia was ruled to be one over short of its target at the end of the match when time allowances were taken into consideration.

As Bailey had previously been found guilty of a minor over-rate offence in One-Day Internationals within the last 12 months, this offence constituted his second minor over-rate offence for the purposes of the ICC Code of Conduct. Bailey pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

In accordance with Article 2.5.1 and Appendix 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which deals with minor over-rate offences, in the case of a second minor over rate offence in the same format of the game within 12 months, the captain receives a one match suspension and is fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while the players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for each over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

As such, Bailey has been suspended from Australia’s next ODI, which is against England and will be played in Hobart on Friday 23 January.

In another incident, David Warner has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee after committing a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.

Warner admitted to a breach of Article 2.1.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which provides that an offence will be committed where a player engages in “… conduct that either : (a) is contrary to the spirit of the game; or (b) brings the game into disrepute”.

The incident happened on the last ball of the 22nd over when Warner approached India batsman Rohit Sharma and confronted him aggressively after the batsmen had taken a run from an over-throw. The Australian had to be withdrawn from the confrontation by both the on-field umpires.

Warner accepted the offence and the proposed sanction, and therefore a formal hearing was not required.

Both the charges were laid by on-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and John Ward, third umpire Mick Martell and fourth official Simon Fry.