Six of them, representing 5 associate countries, are officiating in U-19 World Cup
BENGALURU: There are no umpires from the country representing the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the ongoing U-19 World Cup in the West Indies. However, six umpires from India, chosen by five associate countries, are part of the 19-member team.
They include Bengaluru's
Nitin Bathi
(Netherlands),
Rahul Asher
(Oman),
Vijay Prakash Mallela
,
Sameer Bandekar
(both USA), Sarika Prasad (Singapore) and Arnold Maddela (Canada).
Bandekar was a former BCCI panel umpire who officiated in an ODI in India against Zimbabwe in 2002 before migrating to the US while Sarika Prasad from Visakhapatnam is one of the senior umpires in the ICC associate panel for more than a decade. Arnold Maddela is from Hyderabad.
Unlike the previous editions, this year's umpiring team mostly consists of those from Associate countries while full-member countries are represented by Pakistan, England, West Indies and Ireland.
Rahul AsherIt is learnt that Sri Lanka's upcoming tour of India and the pandemic resulted in the BCCI not picking any umpire for the U-19 World Cup.
According to ICC's special playing conditions, home umpires can be appointed for international matches, which means India's umpires in the ICC Elite and International Panel would be busy officiating the home series.
Nitin Bathi, a 35-year-old electronic engineer at Intel, said: "It is a great opportunity for me. I never thought cricket would still be part of my life when I moved to Europe. However, things turned out differently and I was given the opportunity by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond) to do ODIs against Scotland and Ireland last year and was also inducted into the development panel. I was at the right place at the right moment." Nitin made his ODI debut in 2021 when Scotland visited The Netherlands for a one-day series.
Vijay Prakash MallelaRahul Asher from Oman said the global event was a great learning experience for him. "This is a dream come true for me. It is amazing to watch the future stars of cricket. I am proud to represent Oman and being an Indian to be at this stage and I would like to thank Oman Cricket for this wonderful opportunity," the 42-year-old IT professional from Vadodara said. Born and raised in Kozhikode, Kerala, Asher has been in Oman for the last 22 years and made his ODI debut in 2020 in a match between Oman and UAE.
Vijay Prakash Mallela from Kodad in Telangana said the event was an excellent opportunity to showcase their skills. "So far, the experience has been excellent, in a safe environment. There were pre-tournament workshops and team briefings that all members of the playing control team were part of to reinforce our knowledge of both on-field and TV umpiring and game processes," the 40-year-old techie, settled in the US, added. Vijay, who made his ODI debut in 2019 in a match between USA and Papua New Guinea, is also serving as the National Training Officer in a volunteer Role for USA Cricket Umpires Association.
Nitin BathiTo improve the umpiring standards and to mentor the umpires, the ICC has also appointed two umpire coaches- Karl Hurter (South Africa ) and Denis Burns (England). Three ICC match referees- Graeme Labrooy (Sri Lanka), Denavon Hayles (West Indies), Phil Whitticase (England)- are also part of the officials.
ICC U-19 World Cup Umpires: Asif Yaqoob (Pakistan), Allan Haggo (Scotland), Arnold Maddela (Canada), Buddhi Pradhan (Nepal), David McLean (Scotland), David Millns (England), Emmerson Carington (Bermuda), Heath Kearns (Jersey), Jacquline Williams (West Indies), Mark Jameson (Germany), Martin Saggers (England), Nitin Bathi (The Netherlands), Rahul Asher (Oman),
Rashid Riaz
(Pakistan),
Rizwan Akram
(The Netherlands),
Roland Black (Ireland), Sameer Bandekar (USA), Sarika Prasad (Singapore), Vijay Prakash Mallela (USA)
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