Nitin Menon, the sole Indian representative on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, has chosen to withdraw from the upcoming Champions Trophy, set to commence on February 19. His decision to refrain from traveling to Pakistan is attributed to personal reasons.

On Wednesday, the ICC announced the appointment of 15 match officials for the tournament, which includes three match referees and 12 umpires. The event will take place across three venues in Pakistan—Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi—while India is scheduled to play all its matches in Dubai. The tournament will kick off on February 19, culminating in the final on March 9.

The match referees appointed for the eight-team tournament include Australian cricketing icon David Boon, Sri Lankan legend Ranjan Madugalle, and Zimbabwe's Andrew Pycroft. According to a report from PTI, the ICC had intended to include Menon in the officials' roster, but he opted out of the trip to Pakistan.

A source from the BCCI informed PTI, "The ICC wanted to include him (Menon) in the Champions Trophy lineup. However, he decided not to travel to Pakistan for personal reasons."

Menon had the opportunity to officiate India's matches in Dubai, in accordance with the ICC's policy of employing neutral umpires. The ICC has not issued any statement regarding Menon's decision following the announcement of the officials' list.

Who are the match officials for ICC Champions Trophy?

The trio of match referees comprises Boon, who officiated in the 2017 Champions Trophy final; Madugalle, returning after his role in the 2013 final; and Pycroft, who also participated in the 2017 tournament.

According to a statement from the ICC, a distinguished group of 12 umpires will oversee the eight-team event, featuring six officials from the 2017 edition, including Richard Kettleborough, who served as an umpire in the final of the previous Champions Trophy held in the UK.

Kettleborough, an experienced umpire with 108 ODIs to his name, will be accompanied by fellow umpires Chris Gaffaney, Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Illingworth, Paul Reiffel, and Rod Tucker, all of whom were also part of the 2017 tournament.

Dharmasena is set to extend his record of officiating 132 ODIs at the upcoming tournament, marking a significant achievement for an umpire from Sri Lanka in the One-Day format.

Match Officials: Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson.

Match Referees: David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft.

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