MUMBAI: The match officials from Australia and West Indies will officiate in the forthcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and India, it is learnt here.
Of late the ICC has stopped the practice of announcing the match officials. However, according to the highly placed sources here, the umpires and the match-referee from Australia and the West Indies have been asked to officiate in the three Test matches beginning in Galle from July 26.
“Australia’s Bruce Oxenford and West Indies’ Joel Wilson (TV umpire) are assigned to officiate in three Tests and ODI’s and the former West Indies batsman Richie Richardson will be the match-referee”. the source told to this paper.
Interestingly, Oxenford, the only known umpire using specially hand protractor (made in Australia) to safe-guard his body against the bullet shots from the batsmen will continue to use it in limited over matches, though not in Tests in Sri Lanka.
The other Elite Panel umpires may be Rod Tucker and / or Richard Illingworth / Richard Kettleborough.
They are on ICC’s Elite Panel, whereas Wilson is on ICC’s Emirates International Panel.
Services of Sri Lanka’s three Emirates International Panel umpires Ranmore Martinez, Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Ravindra Wimalasiri will also be utilized during the Tests, ODIs’ and T-20 matches as reserve and TV umpires (for the Limited Over matches).
