India’s S. Ravi to umpire opening game of Champions Trophy

It will be his first such tournament to have officiated in.

S. Ravi will also umpire two warm-up games ahead of the tournament.

India’s S. Ravi will be an on-field umpire in two league matches at the ICC Champions Trophy. It will be his first such tournament to have officiated in.

The International Cricket Council on Thursday announced the umpire and match referee appointments for the Champions Trophy to be held from June 1 to June 18 at three venues - Cardiff, Edgbaston and The Oval in London.

Chris Broad, David Boon and Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC match referees will officiate in the tournament while the umpiring responsibilities will be shared between 12 umpires. They are: Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, S. Ravi, Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker.

Aleem, who won the ICC umpire of the year award from 2009 to 2011, will officiate in his fifth Champions Trophy, while Gould will feature in his third. For the rest, the upcoming event will either be their first such tournament, or their second.

Ravi and Tucker will be the on-field umpires for the opening match between England and Bangladesh at The Oval on June 1. Ravi will also be the on-field in the league match between Pakistan and South Africa on June 7.

Umpire and match referee appointments for the semifinals and final will be announced after the teams have been confirmed.