Guyana (Trinidad): The International Cricket Council's Elite panel umpire Richard Kettleborough will not be officiating in the India's semi-final match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 as the governing body announced the names of the match officials for the knockout round of the tournament on Wednesday.
Kettleborough has been a regular match official for India's knockout stage clashes including the host's heartbreaking defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. He officiated in as many as six of India's ICC tournament knockout matches and the Men in Blue have lost all of them. Hence, the English umpire is seen as someone in whose presense India often lose matches, and they are delighted that he won’t be officiating the India vs England semifinal.
India’s record in ICC knockout matches with Richard Kettleborough as the umpire
- 2014 T20 World Cup Final (lost to Sri Lanka)
- 2015 ODI World Cup Semi-final (lost to Australia)
- 2016 T20 World Cup Semi-final (lost to the West Indies)
- 2017 Champions Trophy Final (lost to Pakistan)
- 2019 ODI World Cup Semi-final (lost to New Zealand)
- 2023 ODI World Cup Final (lost to Australia)
England's Richard Illingworth and India's Nitin Menon will be the on-field umpires for the first semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan in Trinidad on Thursday, June 26 at 6 AM IST. England's Richard Kettleborough will be the TV umpire, with Pakistan's Ahsan Raza in place as fourth umpire.
The second semi-final will be between 2007 World Cup champions India and defending champions England in Guyana on 27 June. The Rohit Sharma-led side would be eyeing to take the revenge of their defeat in the 2022 World Cup semi-final against same opponents where the Jos Buttler-led side chased down 170-run target without losing any wicket.
New Zealand's Chris Gaffaney and Australia's Rodney Tucker have been appointed as on-field officials for that match, while Joel Wilson fulfilling the TV umpire duties with Paul Reiffel serving as the fourth umpire.