New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS): Umpire K.N.A. Padmanabhan and match referee Narayanan Kutty are amongst the match officials confirmed for 2024 ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup to be held in South Africa from 19 January to 11 February.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said 16 umpires and four match referees have been selected to officiate in the competition, overseeing a total of 41 matches. For the opening match between former winners South Africa and West Indies, Roland Black (Ireland) and Gazi Sohel (Bangladesh) will be the on-field umpires.

Black will be officiating in his third U19 Men’s CWC, while Sohel’s international career stretches back to 2012. Former Sri Lanka cricketer Graeme Labrooy will be match referee for the clash, in what will be his sixth appearance at the tournament.

Completing the lineup will be TV Umpire Rashid Riaz Waqar of Pakistan and Bismillah Jan Shinwari of Afghanistan as Fourth Umpire. January 20 will see defending champions India face off against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein, in what will be a repeat of the 2020 final, which the latter won.

Australia’s Donovan Koch and West Indies’ Nigel Duguid will be on-field umpires, with Zimbabwe’s Langton Rusere as fourth umpire, and South African duo Allahudien Palekar as TV umpire and Shaid Wadvalla as match referee.

For the fixture between Pakistan and Afghanistan at East London, South Africa’s Bongani Jele and India’s K.N.A. Padmanabhan will be on-field umpires. 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 January 21. Mike Burns and Patrick Gustard will be on-field umpires, 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.

"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,” said Sean Easey, ICC Manager - Umpires and Referees.

Match Officials at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024

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