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Messages - Alf1986
1
« on: Sun 08 Mar 2026 23:14 »
Dharmasena headed to Bangladesh today ahead of the odi series with Pakistan. I wonder if this appointment was made before the World Cup semi-finals and final? If so, that might be why he was excluded from the big finals, or at the very least why he wasn’t given a fourth umpire role when it was apparent he’d missed on-field duties.
2
« on: Fri 06 Mar 2026 21:22 »
I’m not sure there will be any changes to the panel when it is announced later this month. But there could be a heap of changes in the next couple of years. Dharmasena, Tucker and Kettleborough will presumably be given the opportunity to umpire their 100th tests in the next 12 months so unlikely to be omitted or retire. Reiffel is also just short of his 100th odi match so I expect he will want to continue on.
I keep expecting Illingworth to retire given his age but considering his recent form he may want to push on for 2 more years and try to get to 100 tests. He turns 65 in 2028 so would definitely have to retire by then.
If any umpire is to be dropped it is likely to be Saikat. His DRS stats for the last 12 months have been the worst of all umpires but it’s nowhere near as bad as Joel Wilson and he was given 6 years. Being dropped after 2 years would be a little harsh.
It’s intriguing how the ICC will manage this. Will they want 4-5 of their experienced umpires all going within 2 years (2027-28)? We’ve got some good umpires waiting in the wings who can step up but losing 3-4 at the same time isn’t ideal.
3
« on: Fri 06 Mar 2026 09:16 »
Looks like it will be Illingworth in another final
4
« on: Tue 03 Mar 2026 10:19 »
I reckon Kettleborough and Tucker will both go on for one more year, umpire their 100th tests and then call it quits. I was convinced Illingworth was going to retire after this World Cup but not so sure now. Although an ICC final would be a good way to go out.
To answer an earlier question, I believe 2009 T20 final was the last time an umpire didn’t officiate in semi final but was appointed to the final (Daryl Harper and Simon Taufel). In that case all four semi-final umpires were overlooked.
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« on: Tue 03 Mar 2026 08:53 »
I’ve crunched the DRS numbers and it’s hard to argue the semi-final umpires don’t deserve to be there. Not one of Gaffaney, Wharf, Illingworth and Palekar have had a decision overturned in the tournament (Gaffaney 0 from 5 overturned, Illingworth and Palekar 0 from 6 and Wharf 0 from 3). These stats don’t include umpire’s calls. Every other elite umpire had at least 1 decision overturned.
It makes me think previous rankings are not considered when semi-final and finals appointments are made. Tucker said during a recent podcast that he was ranked equal second yet hasn’t made the cut.
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« on: Tue 03 Mar 2026 05:40 »
Big surprise that Kettleborough, Dharmasena and Tucker have all been overlooked, the first two not even getting 4th umpire roles. Also surprised that Holdstock got a third umpire role ahead of Reiffel given his trouble with the DRS in the West Indies V Australia Test series.
It is worthy recognition for Wharf and Palekar who have both had very impressive years since coming on to the elite panel.
It will leave the ICC with a dilemma if it’s an England v New Zealand final given 3 of the 4 sf umpires will be ruled out.
7
« on: Sun 01 Mar 2026 22:26 »
Dharmasena should be ahead of Menon for on-field but agree with Reiffel and Holdstock switching positions. Also don’t rule out Palekar as a TV umpire. Wharf would be a bit unlucky, I think he’s in the top 8 umpires but England’s presence in the finals might make it difficult even for a fourth umpire role.
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« on: Mon 23 Feb 2026 00:54 »
Don’t expect to see Raza, Holdstock and Saikat in any capacity in the semi-finals. I reckon on-field semi-finals will be between Gaffaney, Illingworth, Tucker, Dharmasena and Kettleborough with one to miss out. Expect to see Menon, Reiffel and probably Wharf in off-field roles.
If these predictions are correct then should the ICC be worried that the same names who have all been umpiring 15 years plus are still the best performers? I don’t feel that many of the recent entrants to the elite panel have made much of an impact yet although the signs are more promising for Wharf and Palekar. Menon seems to have slipped a bit in the last 12 months, I had earmarked him as a possible umpire of the year at one point.
If it ends up being an England v New Zealand final (certainly possible) then the list of names is probably own down to two (Tucker and Dharmasena) as the other top umpires would be ruled out for neutrality reasons.
9
« on: Fri 20 Feb 2026 21:39 »
Based on this, I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Brown is demoted from emerging umpires panel after the end of this tournament. I feel he’s been a bit unlucky, should have been promoted to elite panel in 2023 ahead of Holdstock but have noticed his performances have dropped a bit in the last 12 months. Had a lot of decisions overturned in the Pakistan v South Africa series as well as last New Zealand home summer.
If there is a retirement from elite panel (likely Illingworth or Reiffel) you’d have to think Nagojski or Yaqoob will get the nod. They are the only two non-elite members to have officiated in 5 group/ super 8 matches. Meanwhile, Saikat is the only elite panel umpire to have only got 4 matches, a sign that his position may be under some threat.
10
« on: Fri 20 Feb 2026 00:15 »
Regarding super 8 appointments, I reckon these would most likely have been pre-determined (just like the seedlings) due to the short turnaround between fixtures and the need to move some umpires between countries. Therefore it would have been assumed that Australia made it and were playing in India so I think it’s highly likely Tucker and Reiffel will be in the Sri Lanka group while all three English umpires will be in India. They will also want a good mix between the top 8 umpires, who will presumably umpire two games) and the other eight umpires who will most likely only get 1. With that in mind here are my groups:
Group 1 (India) Illingworth, Kettleborough, Gaffaney and Dharmasena (all 2 matches), Wharf, Saikat, Brown, Nagojski
Group 2 (Sri Lanka) Tucker, Reiffel, Menon, Raza (all 2 matches), Holdstock, Palekar, Yaqoob, Madanagapol
11
« on: Wed 04 Feb 2026 23:48 »
Not sure if it’s a misprint but the cricinfo scorecard for India v South Africa had Cory Black from New Zealand as fourth umpire. Seems strange given there are 24 umpires about and he was recently at the under 19 World Cup. Unless there has been a late change to umpires list and Gazi Sohel is no longer participating?
12
« on: Mon 02 Feb 2026 21:17 »
So after the 24 umpires named for the T20 World Cup, these are probably the next best umpires. Keep an eye out for Haig and Bassarath to eventually make their way up to senior ICC tournaments as they both have age on their side.
13
« on: Sat 31 Jan 2026 21:20 »
24 umpires make sense only because there are six matches every 2 days, requiring six teams of four umpires meaning no-one has to travel and back up on consecutive days. I suspect Knights, Wimalarasi and Ananthapadmanabhan have only made the cut because there are 24 and don’t expect to see them on emerging panel anytime soon.
14
« on: Fri 30 Jan 2026 21:46 »
Cannot understand how Saikat and Sohel are umpiring all their matches in India, particularly Sohel who is contracted to BCB and would presumably need permission from the Bangladesh govt to go to India. Is the iCC trying to prove a point. Or were these appointments put in place prior to Bangladesh boycotting the tournament. I can see a late change where Dharmasena and Wimalarasi are reassigned to India and the Bangladesh umpires go to Sri Lanka.
It’s also worth noting that all TV appointments are for elite panel or emerging umpire, with the exception of Leslie Reiffer. This may indicate he is next in line for a promotion. The other umpires likely to be added to one of the panels in the next few years are Black and Koch, while Rusere could get reappointed as well.
15
« on: Fri 30 Jan 2026 10:33 »
World Cup match officials have finally been announced. Here’s a summary of the main talking points
1. Surprisingly 24 onfield umpires will take part, compared to 20 at the last World Cup. I believe this is the highest number ever appointed to an ICC event. I can’t see individual match allocations but assume every umpire will get at least 3 matches and probably the elite umpires get 4. Not sure why they have appointed extras but maybe it’s to allow more flexibility with travel from India to Sri Lanka.
2. The eight umpires not part of elite and emerging panels are Donovan Koch, Langton Rusere, Wayne Knights, Leslie Reiffer, Roly Black, KN Anathapadmanabhan, Gaza Sohel and Raveendra Wimalasiri.
3. I’m particularly surprised at inclusion of Knights and Wimalarsi as they have both been around a while without really impressing. Also surprised Sohel made it given the recent dramas with Bangladesh. Delighted for Black and Reiffer who I thought were candidates to be taking the next step.
4 Notable omissions are Rashid Riaz who has gone from the top 20 at 2024 event to not even making the 24. I also expected to see Martin Saggers. The fact that no English international panel member has made the cut indicates they have made the wrong move in promoting umpires in their 50s with little chance of going further.
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