Karachi:Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday announced its panel of match officials for the 2020-21 domestic season, which will commence with the
from 30 September.
The first round matches of the double-league competition will be held in Multan, while the second round will be played in Rawalpindi.
The six-member PCB Elite Panel of Match Referees include Ali Naqvi (Lahore), Iftikhar Ahmed (Karachi), Muhammad Anees (Lahore), Muhammad Iqbal Sheikh (Hyderabad), Nadeem Arshad (Faisalabad) and Prof. Mohammad Javed Malik (Multan), while 14 members of the PCB Elite Panel of Umpires are Ahsan Raza (Lahore), Aftab Hussain Gillani (Bahawalpur), Asif Yaqoob (Islamabad), Faisal Khan Afridi (Sargodha), Ghaffar Kazmi (Lahore), Imran Javed (Karachi), Nasir Hussain Snr (Lahore), Qaiser Waheed (Lahore), Rashid Riaz Waqar (Lahore), Saqib Khan (Abbottabad), Shozab Raza (Lahore), Syed Imtiaz Iqbal (Karachi), Waleed Yaqub (Lahore) and Zameer Haider (Lahore).
These 20 elite officials will be on 12-month retainer contracts and will be responsible for sharing officiating duties in the First XI Cricket Association and HBL Pakistan Super League matches.
In the 2019-20 season, the PCB had offered contracts to 18 elite match officials. Mohammad Iqbal Sheikh and Nadeem Arshad, are the two additions in the match referees panel, while Aftab Hussain Gilani (promoted from the development panel), Imran Javed, Nasir Hussain Snr, Qaiser Waheed, Syed Imtiaz Iqbal, Waleed Yaqoob (promoted from the development panel) and Zameer Haider are the umpires who will be offered contracts for the first time.
The PCB has introduced supplementary panel for the first time, which includes the match referees and umpires who were unable to find places in the elite panel. They will be offered season contracts, which includes match fees and daily allowances. This panel will be responsible for officiating in the Second XI Cricket Association matches and will set-up for First XI and HBL Pakistan Super League duties as and when required.
The 72-member PCB Development Panel of Umpires has been equally divided into two groups, with the first group to officiate in the PCB-organized age-group matches and the second group to stand in club, grassroots and school fixtures. The playing control team in these matches will be led by the PCB Development Panel of Match Referees, which comprises 15 officials.
The PCB Development Panel of Match Referees includes a female official, Saman Zulfiqar from Sheikhupura. This is the third successive year she has been named in the panel as the PCB continues to encourage its women officials to get involved with the game if they have any aspirations of representing the country at the international level.
Similar process was followed and adopted while finalizing women umpires for the 2020-21 domestic season, who will be offered season contracts. These women officials will be involved in officiating women’s domestic matches, schedule of which will be shared in due course.
The notable inclusion in the eight-member PCB Panel of Women Umpires is the addition of Sabahat Rasheed, who played 13 One-Day Internationals for Pakistan from 2005 to 2007. The 37-year-old from Lahore was a right-arm off break and is a graduate of Arts and Education.
Bilal Qureshi, Manager, Umpires and Referees: “I want to congratulate all the match officials on their inclusion in the 2020-21 domestic panel and hope they will have a good season in which they will perform their duties to the best of their abilities.
“This year’s assessment and appraisal process was transparent and merit-based in which two independent former ICC match officials reviewed the performances of all the officials, while accessing their self-assessments and video decisions during the season (where available) as well as presentations, interviews, knowledge and understanding about the Laws, decision-making and man-management skills. Separately, the match officials also underwent fitness tests, which are mandatory and as per international standards.
“This robust process was carried out to ensure the best match officials can officiate in the PCB-organized tournaments and through their good knowledge and understanding of the Laws and regulations, contribute in enhancing the standard and quality of the 2020-21 domestic cricket.
“At the same time, we have provided a pathway to the supplementary and development panel umpires with the incentive being a place in the elite panel. I understand this is a challenging pathway but such is the role that only the best of the best can move up the ladder and this can only happen through determination, consistent performances, correct application of the Laws and regulations, and good match management.”