Daily Times

LAHORE: Former West Indies (WI) skipper Sir Richie Richardson has been appointed referee for the upcoming Independence Cup to be played between Pakistan and a World XI. The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the move in the press statement here on Tuesday. Richardson, who has refereed in 11 Tests, 19 one-day internationals and 18 Twenty20s, has been a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees since 2016, after ex-Sri Lanka batsman Roshan Mahanama stepped down from his position after 10 years on the job. Richardson, who played alongside the legendary West Indies batting maestro and fellow Antiguan Viv Richards for close to eight years, had a fine playing career from 1983 until 1996 when Australia edged the West Indies in a pulsating World Cup semi-final at Mohali by five runs with skipper Richardson stranded high and dry on 49 in his 224th and last ODI appearance.

Richardson, one of the finest batsmen of his time, also represented the West Indies in 86 Tests and 224 ODIs, while leading the region in 24 Tests (11 wins and six defeats) and 87 ODIs (winning 46 and losing 36). In January 2011, Richardson was appointed team manager of the West Indies and served in that role until the end of the Test tour of Australia earlier this year. Richardson’s appointment signifies the first time the ICC is sending match officials to Pakistan since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. The World XI and Pakistan will play three T20s during the Independence Cup series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sept 12, 13 and 15.

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 II.

Published in Daily Times, August 30^th 2017.