Bangladeshi umpire Shahid Saikat will make history on June 1 when he will become the first man from his country to officiate in an ICC Men's T20 World Cup match. (More Cricket News)
Saikat has been selected alongside the experienced Richard Illingworth to officiate in the opening match of the tournament between co-hosts USA and their neighbours Canada on June 1 in Dallas.
Saikat already has an impressive CV and has officiated in five matches at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 which took place in India.
The Bangladeshi umpire also served on the panel for two ICC Women’s Cricket World Cups and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2018.
The first match of the competition will see Richie Richardson officiating as the match referee, while Sam Nogajski will serve as the TV umpire and Langton Rusere as the fourth umpire.
Apart from Nogajski, four additional officials - Rashid Riaz, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Allahudien Paleker, and Asif Yaqoob - will debut in senior men's tournaments the upcoming month.
Saikat's partner in the first match, Illingworth, will also be on ground officiating the much awaited India-Pakistan clash in New York on June 9.
Illingworth is among the top umpires in international cricket currently and has won three David Shepherd Trophies for ICC Umpire of the Year. He also stood in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Final between India and Australia last year in Ahmedabad.
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 begins June 1 with record 20 teams participating in the tournament for the first time in its history.
Match Officials for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024:
Umpires: Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Allahudien Paleker, Richard Kettleborough, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, Ahsan Raza, Rashid Riaz, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Shahid Saikat, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Asif Yaqoob.
Match referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath.
