Sharfuddoula to be the first Bangladeshi to officiate men’s WC match

Sharfuddoula Ibne Shaid Saikat is set to become the first Bangladeshi to officiate a match in men’s ODI (one day international) world cup. He is the first Bangladeshi umpire to be included in 20 match officials for the league round of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, reports BSS.

Currently an umpire of ICC's emerging umpire panel, Sharfuddoula will be the fourth umpire in the opening match between England and New Zealand on 5 October in Ahmedabad, the International Cricket Council said in a statement on Friday.

"Srinath will take charge of the tournament opener between the last event's finalists, England and New Zealand on 5 Octobe in Ahmedabad. Menon and Dharmasena will be the standing umpires, with Paul Wilson as TV umpire and Saikat taking on fourth umpire duties," the statement said.

"The officials have been named for the entirety of the League segment, with the selections for the semi-finals and final of the tournament to be named in due course," it added.

Sharfuddoula, who was a left arm spinner in his playing days, has officiated nine Tests and 43 T20Is so far, highest for a Bangladeshi umpire. He also stood as umpire in 52 ODIs, second highest as a Bangladeshi umpire.

Wasim Khan, ICC general manager, said, "To deliver an event of this magnitude you require high performing individuals at every level. The ICC Elite panel of umpires, referees, and emerging group of umpires involved will bring immense skills, experience and world class standards to this World Cup. We are delighted with the group that we have assembled for this tournament.”

"The ICC cricket operations department takes great pride and effort in operating a robust and meritocratic selection procedure with the help of our member boards. Our competitive pathway system continues to see the development and emergence of high-quality match officials across the game. We are pleased that four members of the ICC emerging umpire panel have earned the opportunity to be part of this showcase event and we wish them, and all the other match officials involved all the very best for the tournament," Khan added.

Sean Easey, ICC manager (umpires and referees) said, "We are pleased to announce the match officials who will be overseeing the biggest ICC Men's Cricket World Cup ever. This group is the best from around the world and will be ready to perform a challenging job, with the eyes of the global cricketing community focused on the event." 

"We are confident that they will do an excellent job and wish them all the best of luck for what promises to be a World Cup to remember," he added.