File image of Indian referee Nitin Menon©Twitter
Nitin Menon, the only Indian in the ICC’s elite panel of referees, will finally realize his “dream” when he gets to perform at England’s iconic Ashes in June-July. The 39-year-old from Indore will be the on-field umpire in the third and fourth Tests of the major series between England and Australia from June 16. “He will perform in the Ashes,” a BCCI official told PTI. The third Test will be played in Leeds from July 6-10, while the fourth Test will be played in Manchester (July 19-23). Menon will be the TV umpire in the fifth and final Test at the London Oval from July 27-31.
His on-field partners in Leeds and Manchester are Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena and Trinidad’s Joel Wilson respectively.
Menon, who was named to the elite panel in 2020, could have featured earlier in the Ashes had it not been for COVID, with ICC forced to use local umpires due to restrictions in place at the time.
“My dream series is definitely going to be Ashes. That’s the only series I watch on TV. The atmosphere, the way the series is played out is something I want to be involved in. Whether it’s in England or Australia, I would like to be a part of it.” of it,” Menon had told PTI after being elevated to the elite panel.
Menon has so far competed in 18 Tests, 42 ODIs and 40 T20s. He is currently working on the IPL.
As neutral umpires have been chosen for the Ashes, it appears the ICC is also poised to bring back the pre-COVID policy in all Tests.
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