ICC announces match officials for WTC final
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday revealed the match officials for the much-anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final between South Africa and Australia.
The final is scheduled to take place at Lord's from June 11 to 15.
New Zealand's Chris Gaffaney and England's Richard Illingworth will serve as the on-field umpires for the final.
Illingworth, who has officiated in the 2021 and 2023 WTC finals, continues to be a mainstay in high-profile Test matches. He is also the reigning ICC Umpire of the Year, having won the prestigious David Shepherd Trophy for the fourth time in 2024.
Gaffaney previously partnered with Illingworth in officiating last year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup final and was also part of the umpiring team during the WTC 2023 final between India and Australia.
In making history, Illingworth will become the first umpire to stand on-field in all three World Test Championship finals to date.
England's Richard Kettleborough, who has officiated in multiple ICC marquee event finals including the Men's Cricket World Cup and the Champions Trophy, has been appointed as the TV umpire.
He previously served in this role during the WTC 2021 final between India and New Zealand.
India's Nitin Menon will make his World Test Championship final debut as the fourth umpire. Menon was the TV umpire for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final in 2021.
The match referee for the final will be experienced Indian official Javagal Srinath.
ICC Chair Jay Shah praised the credentials of the appointed officials and expressed confidence in their performance.
"We are pleased to announce an experienced team of match officials for the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord's, marking the culmination of a highly competitive two-year cycle of Test matches played around the world," Jay Shah said.
"We strive to select the most qualified and deserving officials for all matches, and we are confident they will perform admirably. On behalf of the ICC, I wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this assignment," he added.
It is pertinent to mention that Australia secured their spot in the WTC 2023-25 final by winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India with a 3-1 series victory in the 2024-25 season.
Meanwhile, South Africa reached the final for the first time in history after a dominant 2-0 whitewash series win over Pakistan.
Australia Test Squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett
South Africa Test Squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Kyle Verreynne, David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson.
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