Two Indians in match officials' roster for ICC U-19 World Cup

The ICC Wednesday announced the lineup of match officials for the upcoming U-19 men’s World Cup with umpire KNA Padmanabhan and match referee Narayanan Kutty being the two Indian representatives.

The age-group tournament will be held in South Africa from January 19 to February 11.

An experienced roster of 16 umpires and four match referees have been selected to officiate the competition, overseeing a total of 41 matches that will feature the world’s best young cricketers. Match official appointments have also been confirmed for the initial group stage fixtures, which includes an accomplished team taking charge of the opening match between hosts South Africa and another former U-19 champion nation, West Indies, in Potchefstroom on January 19.

Bongani Jele will be joined by India’s Padmanabhan as on-field umpires for the first East London fixture between Pakistan and Afghanistan. India’s Kutty will be match referee for the tie, with Australia’s Phil Gillespie and Zimbabwe’s Forster Mutizwa as TV umpire and fourth umpire respectively.

Appointments of match officials for later stages of the tournament will be announced in due course, the ICC said in a press release. Lis of match officials: Umpires: Bismillah Jan Shinwari, Donovan Koch, Phil Gillespie, Gazi Sohel, Masudur Rahman Mukul, Mike Burns, K.N.A. Padmanabhan, Roland Black, Faisal Khan Afridi, Rashid Riaz Waqar, Allahudien Palekar, Bongani Jele, Patrick Gustard, Nigel Duguid, Langton Rusere, Forster Mutizwa Match referees: Graeme Labrooy, Shaid Wadvalla, Narayanan Kutty, Wayne Noon.