Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday announced that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Sir Richie Richardson as the match referee for the Independence Cup.
The World XI and Pakistan will play three Twenty20 matches at Gaddafi stadium on September 12, September 13 and September 15, said a press release issued here.
“Sir Richie Richardson has been a member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees since January 2016 and has refereed in 11 Tests, 19 ODIs and 18 T20Is to date,” said a spokesman of the PCB here.
As one of the greats of West Indies cricket, Sir Richie Richardson played 86 Tests and 224 One-Day Internationals between 1983 and 1996, scoring 5,949 and 6,248 runs, respectively. He also captained the West Indies side in 24 Tests (winning 11 and losing six) and 87 ODIs (winning 46 and losing 36), and served as a team manager from 2011 to 2015.
Against Pakistan, Sir Richie Richardson played 12 Tests and 61 ODIs, scoring 708 and 1,988 runs, respectively. He played two Tests and four ODI at the Gaddafi Stadium, with his final appearance in the West Indies colours at Pakistan cricket’s headquarter being in 1991.
The ICC has thrown its weight behind this series, working closely with the PCB to tackle security, which satisfied the standards of the players’ body, the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA).
Zimbabwe’s tour in 2015 – the only international tour by a Test-playing team since the terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009 – had gone ahead with local umpires and match officials. Prior to Zimbabwe’s tour, several countries had refused to play in Pakistan, in the aftermath of the attack in Lahore.
The PCB, however, has been gradually pursuing more matches in the country. Earlier this year, a few international players turned out in Lahore for the final of the Pakistan Super League.