Crowe named referee for Pakistan ODI tri-series

Pakistan is set to host Sri Lanka for a three-match T20I and two-match World Test Championship series, while in between the two series, England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will also play a One-Day International tri-series. The match officials’ panel for these upcoming 12 international matches from 9 October to 21 November have been announced today.

Jeffrey Crowe, member of ICC’s Elite Panel of match referees and former New Zealand Test cricketer, will lead the playing control team in all the seven matches of the showpiece ODI tri-series from 18 to 31 October in Rawalpindi and Lahore. Crowe made his Test debut as referee in October 2004 in Faisalabad Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The New Zealander completed 350 ODI matches and also became just the second person to officiate 700 international matches as referee earlier this month.

Pakistan’s Ahsan Raza and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid from Bangladesh – both members of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, along with ICC International Panel Umpires including Wayne Knights from New Zealand, Asif Yaqoob, Nasir Hussain, Rashid Riaz Waqar and Faisal Khan Aafreedi will carry out umpiring duties in the ODI tri-series.

Knights, who will add to his tally of 37 ODIs as Umpire, will partner with Asif in first match of the tri-series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka as on-field umpire.

Ahsan, who will officiate the last two matches of the ODI tri-series as on-field umpire, will be accompanied by Sharfuddoula in Sri Lanka v England match in Lahore before standing in the field with Knights in the final. Faisal, Rashid and Nasir will be on-field umpires for one match each in the tri-series, while Asif will stand in two.

Sharfuddoula and Knights will take turns as third umpire throughout the tri-series with the former starting in the series opener.

Former English first-class cricketer and member of ICC’s Emerging Match Referees Group Dean Cosker will lead the playing control team for the first time in Tests when Sri Lanka and Pakistan face each other in Rawalpindi and Lahore. He has so far officiated 16 ODIs, 17 T20Is, three WODIs and six WT20Is after starting his career in October 2024.

ICC Elite Panel of Umpires members Adrian Holdstock, Allahuddien Palekar – both from South Africa - and Rodney Tucker from Australia will carry out duties as on-field umpires in the two Tests. In the first match in Rawalpindi, Holdstock and Tucker will be on-field umpires, while Palekar will join Holdstock in the second Test.

Palekar will be the third umpire in first Test, while Tucker will carry out the third umpire duties in second. Faisal Aafreedi and Asif Yaqoob will be fourth umpires in first and second Test, respectively.

In the three-match T20I series scheduled on 9, 11 and 13 October, ICC International Match Referee Ali Naqvi will lead the playing control team. In the first match Rashid Riaz and Nasir Hussain will be on-field umpires, while Faisal Aafreedi will stand with Nasir in the second. Rashid will join Faisal in the third on-field.

Faisal, Rashid and Nasir will be third umpires, respectively in the three T20Is, while Tariq Rasheed – PCB National Elite Panel Umpire – will be fourth umpire in all three T20Is.

Match officials list

Pakistan v Sri Lanka T20I series

Umpires - Faisal Khan Aafreedi, Nasir Hussain, Rashid Riaz Waqar, Tariq Rasheed

Match Referee – Ali Naqvi

ODI tri-series – Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka

Umpires – Ahsan Raza, Asif Yaqoob, Faisal Khan Aafreedi, Nasir Hussain, Rashid Riaz Waqar,Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Wayne Knights

Match Referee – Jeffrey Crowe

Three-day practice match at Islamabad Club

Umpires – Ahsan Raza and Abdul Moqeet, Zulfiqar Jan

Referee – Kamran Chaudhary

Pakistan v Sri Lanka Test series

Umpires – Adrian Holdstock, Allahuddien Palekar, Asif Yaqoob, Faisal Khan Aafreedi, Rodney Tucker

Match Referee – Dean Cosker

Match-by-match appointments:

9 October - 1st T20I – Rawalpindi - Rashid Riaz Waqar and Nasir Hussain (on-field umpires), Faisal Khan Aafreedi (third umpire)

11 October - 2nd T20I – Rawalpindi - Faisal Khan Aafreedi and Nasir Hussain (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz Waqar (third umpire)

13 October – 3rd T20I – Rawalpindi - Faisal Khan Aafreedi and Rashid Riaz Waqar (on-field umpires), Nasir Hussain (third umpire)

Note – Ali Naqvi will be match referee and Tariq Rasheed will be the fourth umpire in all three T20Is.

18 October – 1st ODI – Rawalpindi – Wayne Knights and Asif Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (third umpire), Faisal Khan Aafreedi (fourth umpire), Jeffrey Crowe (match referee)

20 October – 2nd ODI – Rawalpindi - Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and Faisal Khan Aafreedi (on-field umpires), Wayne Knights (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire), Jeffrey Crowe (match referee)

22 October – 3rd ODI – Rawalpindi – Wayne Knights and Asif Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (third umpire) Faisal Khan Aafreedi (fourth umpire), Jeffrey Crowe (match referee)

25 October – 4th ODI – Lahore – Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and Rashid Riaz Waqar (on-field umpires), Wayne Knights (third umpire), Nasir Hussain (fourth umpire), Jeffrey Crowe (match referee)

27 October – 5th ODI – Lahore - Wayne Knights and Nasir Hussain (on-field umpires), Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (third umpire), Rashid Riaz Waqar (fourth umpire), Jeffrey Crowe (match referee)

29 October – 6th ODI – Lahore – Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires), Wayne Knights (third umpire), Nasir Hussain (fourth umpire), Jeffrey Crowe (match referee)

31 October – tri-series final - Lahore – TBC v TBC – Wayne Knights and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires), Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (third umpire), Rashid Riaz Waqar (fourth umpire), Jeffrey Crowe (match referee)

4-6 November – Three-day practice match – Islamabad – Ahsan Raza and Abdul Moqeet (on-field umpires), Zulfiqar Jan (fourth umpire), Kamran Chaudhary (match referee)

9-13 November – 1st Test – Pakistan v Sri Lanka – Rawalpindi – Adrian Holdstock and Rodney Tucker (on-field umpires), Allahuddien Palekar (third umpire), Faisal Khan Aafreedi (fourth umpire), Dean Cosker (match referee)

17-21 November – 2nd Test – Pakistan v Sri Lanka – Lahore - Adrian Holdstock and Allahuddien Palekar (on-field umpires), Rodney Tucker (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire), Dean Cosker (match referee)