Richie Richardson to officiate Rawalpindi Test

KARACHI: Former West Indies captain Richie Richardson will visit Pakistan as a match referee for the ICC World Test Championship fixture between Pakistan and Bangladesh, which commences on Friday (tomorrow) in Rawalpindi.

Richardson’s Playing Control Team includes Nigel LIong and Chris Gaffaney as on-field umpires, Marais Erasmus as TV umpire and Shozab Raza as the fourth umpire. Richardson last toured Pakistan in September 2017 for three ICC World XI T20Is in Lahore. That was his first visit to the country as a match official.

The former right-handed batsman toured Pakistan six times as a player and featured in six Tests and 21 ODIs from 1985 to 1996.

This will be the first visit to Pakistan for Gaffaney and Erasmus. Llong is returning to Pakistan after more than a decade. He has officiated six ODIs in Pakistan: three in Karachi, two in Lahore, and one in Multan.

He last stood as an on-field umpire in Pakistan during the ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in January 2009. The first Test of the two-match series will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from February 7-11.