12 umpires, including Dharmasena, to officiate in 2025 Champions Trophy
What's the story
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a total of 15 match officials for the upcoming 2025 Men's Champions Trophy.
The list includes 12 umpires and three match referees.
The 50-over tournament is set to be held from February 19 to March 9, across four iconic venues in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Here are further details.
Umpire lineup
Veteran umpires to officiate at Champions Trophy
The eight-team Champions Trophy will be officiated by a panel of 12 umpires, six of whom also stood in the 2017 edition.
This includes Richard Kettleborough, who officiated in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy between India and Pakistan.
Other returning officials are Chris Gaffaney, Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Illingworth, Paul Reiffel, and Rod Tucker.
Record extension
Dharmasena extends record at Champions Trophy
Dharmasena, who has officiated 132 Men's ODIs, will further extend his record for the most ODIs officiated by a Sri Lankan umpire in the ODI format.
He will be accompanied by Kettleborough and Illingworth, who officiated together during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia in Ahmedabad.
Other officials include Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Ahsan Raza, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Alex Wharf and Joel Wilson.
Referee panel
Match referees for Champions Trophy announced
The likes of David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle, and Andrew Pycroft form the panel of referees. All three are members of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.
Boon stood the 2017 Champions Trophy final while Pycroft also officated in the same tournament.
Madugalle took charge in the 2013 Champions Trophy, which India won.
Official assurance
ICC expresses confidence in match officials
Sean Easey, the ICC senior manager - umpires and referees, expressed confidence in the selected match officials for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
He said, "We are pleased to announce this highly credentialed team of match officials for the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025."
He added that their collective expertise and experience will be invaluable in ensuring a smooth running of the tournament.