ICC Match Referee Ali Naqvi is poised to achieve a significant career landmark by officiating his 50th T20 International during the forthcoming series between Pakistan and Australia, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced while revealing the complete list of match officials.
According to a statement today, Naqvi, a member of the ICC”s International Panel, will lead the playing control team for all three encounters. His milestone 50th T20I will be the second fixture of the series, a notable occasion as he officiated his first game in the format at the very same venue in April 2023.
The on-field umpiring duties will be spearheaded by Ahsan Raza of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires for the first two contests. He will be joined in the middle by Asif Yaqoob from the ICC Emerging Panel for the opening match and Rashid Riaz of the ICC International Panel for the second T20I.
A rotation will see Rashid Riaz partner with Nasir Hussain, also from the ICC International Panel, for on-field responsibilities in the third and final game. The fourth umpire for that match will be Zulfiqar Jan, a member of the PCB”s National Elite Panel of Umpires.
Nasir Hussain will commence the series as the third umpire for the first T20I before taking on fourth umpire duties in the second game. Asif Yaqoob and Tariq Rasheed, the latter from the PCB National Elite Panel, will be the third umpires for the second and third matches, respectively.
All three T20I clashes are scheduled to be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from 29 January to 1 February. The matches are set for a 4:00 pm PKT start, with the coin toss taking place 30 minutes prior at 3:30 pm PKT.