Two Bangladeshi umpires in ICC U-19 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the lineup of match officials appointed for the ICC U-19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2024, which will be held in South Africa from January 19 to February 11.

An experienced roster of 16 umpires, including two Bangladeshi umpires Gazi Sohel and Masudur Rahman Mukul, and four match referees have been selected to officiate the competition, overseeing a total of 41 matches that will feature the best young cricketers on the planet.

Match Official appointments have also been confirmed for the initial group stage fixtures, which includes an accomplished team taking charge of the opening match between hosts South Africa and another former U19 champion nation, West Indies, in Potchefstroom on 19 January.

On-field Umpires for the fixture will be Roland Black (Ireland) and Gazi Sohel (Bangladesh). Black will be officiating in his third U19 Men's CWC, while Sohel's international career stretches back to 2012.

Former Sri Lanka international cricketer Graeme Labrooy will be Match Referee for the clash, in what will be his sixth appearance at the celebrated event.

Completing the lineup of officials for the hosts' opener will be TV Umpire Rashid Riaz Waqar of Pakistan and Bismillah Jan Shinwari of Afghanistan as Fourth Umpire.

The following day, 20 January, will see defending champions India face off against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein, in what will be a repeat of the blockbuster 2020 final.

Australia's Donovan Koch and West Indies' Nigel Duguid will take charge of that fixture with Zimbabwe's Langton Rusere as Fourth Umpire, and South African duo Allahudien Palekar as TV Umpire and Shaid Wadvalla as Match Referee.

Palekar will be one of two Umpires from the host nation appearing at the U19 Men's CWC together with Bongani Jele, both of whom having enjoyed international careers spanning over a decade.

Jele will be joined by India's K.N.A. Padmanabhan as on-field umpires for the first East London fixture between Pakistan and Afghanistan. India's Narayanan Kutty will be Match Referee for the tie, with Australia's Phil Gillespie and Zimbabwe's Forster Mutizwa as TV Umpire and Fourth Umpire respectively.

Elsewhere, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will play the first fixture at Kimberley on 21 January. The fixture will be officiated by Mike Burns and Patrick Gustard on-field, while Masudur Rahman Mukul of Bangladesh will assume the role of TV Umpire, Faisal Khan Afridi of Pakistan will be Fourth Umpire and England's Wayne Noon will be Match Referee.

A schedule of Match Official appointments for group stage fixtures can be found here on the ICC's Online Media Zone, with appointments for later stages announced in due course.

Speaking on the announcement of Match Officials at the event, ICC Manager - Umpires and Referees, Sean Easey said: "The U19 Men's Cricket World Cup is a very important event in the ICC calendar. It has long been considered a platform for future stars of the sport to make a name for themselves and for many of the participating players in this year's edition, it is their first taste of competing on the world stage.

Similarly, it is an important development event for the umpire pathway also. A diverse and motivated team of international match officials has been appointed, and I am confident that they will do an excellent job. I wish them the very best of luck across their time in South Africa."

Umpires: Bismillah Jan Shinwari, Donovan Koch, Phil Gillespie, Gazi Sohel, Masudur Rahman Mukul, Mike Burns, K.N.A. Padmanabhan, Roland Black, Faisal Khan Afridi, Rashid Riaz Waqar, Allahudien Palekar, Bongani Jele, Patrick Gustard, Nigel Duguid, Langton Rusere, Forster Mutizwa

Match Referees: Graeme Labrooy, Shaid Wadvalla, Narayanan Kutty, Wayne Noon