Match referee will have his work cut out!

Richie Richardson of West Indies has been chosen to oversee the last two Tests between India and Australia.

A day before the third Test, Richie Richardson will have some work to impress upon the two captains Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to maintain the spirit of the game.

Former West Indies captain Richie Richardson will be the ICC Elite Panel Match Referee for the remaining two India-Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test matches to be played at Ranchi (March 16-20) and Dharamsala (March 25-29). Ian Gould (England) and Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand) will be the on-field umpires in Ranchi with Nigel Llong as the TV umpire; in Dharamsala, Marais Erasmus (South Africa) and Gould will be the on-field umpires with Gaffaney as the TV Umpire.

A day before the Ranchi Test, on March 15, Richardson will have some work to impress upon the two captains Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to maintain the spirit of the game and play the game like good boys. Smith’s reputation as a sporting cricketer has taken a beating following his act of seeking the guidance from dressing room to ascertain whether he could signal for the player-DRS after being declared lbw to Umesh Yadav in the fourth innings of the Bangalore Test.

A joint statement issued by BCCI and CA has said that “the two captains will meet prior to the Ranchi Test and commit to lead their teams by example and play the rest of the series, in the right spirit, demonstrating that the players from both teams are true ambassadors for their respective countries.”