New Delhi: Paul Reiffel and Richard Illingworth have been appointed as on-field umpires for the highly-anticipated India-Pakistan clash in the 2025 Champions Trophy, the International Cricket Council (ICC) informed on Monday. For the India-Pakistan game to be held on February 23 at the Dubai International Stadium, Michael Gough will be TV umpire, while Adrian Holdstock is the fourth umpire and David Boon will assume charge as the Match Referee.
While announcing the officials for all 12 league games of the Champions Trophy, the ICC revealed that Richard Kettleborough and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid will stand as on-field umpires in the opening match of the 2025 Champions Trophy to be played between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi on February 19.
Joel Wilson will be the TV umpire and Alex Wharf the fourth umpire, while Andrew Pycroft will be the match referee as the tournament marks its return for the first time since 2017, when Pakistan won the title in England.
For India’s matches, Reiffel and Holdstock will be on-field umpires for the clash against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai, with Illingworth being TV umpire, Michael Gough as the fourth umpire and Boon will be the match referee.
Gough and Illingworth will be the on-field umpires for the India vs New Zealand clash in Dubai on March 2, with Holdstock as TV umpire, Reiffel as fourth umpire and Boon as the match referee.
The two-week competition will see the top eight teams feature in 15 matches across 19 days in Pakistan and the UAE. Group A features Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.
The tournament is also the first global cricket competition Pakistan has hosted since the Men’s ODI World Cup in 1996. India and Australia are the two most successful sides in the Champions Trophy, having won it twice.
Full match officials’ schedule for 2025 Champions Trophy group stages:
Pakistan v New Zealand, February 19 – Karachi
On-field umpires: Richard Kettleborough and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid
TV umpire: Joel Wilson, Fourth umpire: Alex Wharf, Match Referee: Andrew Pycroft
Bangladesh v India, February 20 – Dubai
On-field umpires: Adrian Holdstock and Paul Reiffel
TV umpire: Richard Illingworth, Fourth umpire: Michael Gough, Match Referee: David Boon
Afghanistan v South Africa, February 21 – Karachi
On-field umpires: Alex Wharf and Rodney Tucker
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough, Fourth umpire: Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle
Australia v England, February 22 – Lahore
On-field umpires: Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney
TV umpire: Kumar Dharmasena, Fourth umpire: Ahsan Raza, Match Referee: Andrew Pycroft
Pakistan v India, February 23 – Dubai
On-field umpires: Paul Reiffel and Richard Illingworth
TV umpire: Michael Gough, Fourth umpire: Adrian Holdstock, Match Referee: David Boon
Bangladesh v New Zealand, February 24 – Rawalpindi
On-field umpires: Ahsan Raza and Kumar Dharmasena
TV umpire: Rodney Tucker, Fourth umpire: Joel Wilson, Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle
Australia v South Africa, February 25 – Rawalpindi
On-field umpires: Richard Kettleborough and Chris Gaffaney
TV umpire: Alex Wharf, Fourth umpire: Kumar Dharmasena, Match Referee: Andrew Pycroft
Afghanistan v England, February 26 – Lahore
On-field umpires: Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and Joel Wilson
TV umpire: Ahsan Raza, Fourth umpire: Rodney Tucker, Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle
Pakistan v Bangladesh, February 27 – Rawalpindi
On-field umpires: Michael Gough and Adrian Holdstock
TV umpire: Paul Reiffel, Fourth umpire: Richard Illingworth, Referee: David Boon
Afghanistan v Australia, February 28 – Lahore
On-field umpires: Alex Wharf and Kumar Dharmasena
TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney, Fourth umpire: Richard Kettleborough, Match Referee: Andrew Pycroft
South Africa v England, March 1 – Karachi
On-field umpires: Rodney Tucker and Ahsan Raza
TV umpire: Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Fourth umpire: Joel Wilson, Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle
New Zealand v India, March 2 – Dubai
On-field umpires: Michael Gough and Richard Illingworth
TV umpire: Adrian Holdstock, Fourth umpire: Paul Reiffel, Match Referee: David Boon
(IANS)
