After Rohit Sharma’s explosive half-century, Kuldeep Yadav and Akshar Patel’s spin magic helped India beat England by 68 runs in the second semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup to book their place in the final. The final will now be played between India and South Africa on June 29. India have entered the final of the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2014, while South Africa have never reached the final of the T20 World Cup before. Both the teams have been unbeaten so far in the current tournament and on the day of the final, one team’s dream will come true while the other’s hopes will be dashed. The Indian team has performed brilliantly in this tournament and is considered a strong contender for the title. In such a situation, the fans of the Man in Blue hope that Team India will end its title drought. However, before that, the Indian team has suffered a major setback. In fact, Richard Kettlebrough, who has been a panacea for the Indian team in ICC knockout matches for the past few years, is part of the panel of umpires for the final.
The umpires decided for the final
ICC has announced the panel of umpires for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. New Zealand’s Chris Gaffney and England’s Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires for the final between India and South Africa, while Richard Kettlebrough has been appointed as the TV umpire. Rodney Tucker will act as the fourth umpire for the match. Whenever Richard Kettlebrough has been in a knock-out match in an ICC tournament, the Indian team has not been able to win those matches. However, the Indian team will surely love to break this jinx this time.
Richard Kettlebrough has proved to be a ‘Panauti’ for India
Whenever Richard Kettlebrough has appeared in a knock-out match of an ICC tournament, the Indian team has lost that match. India lost to Australia in the ODI World Cup final last year and Richard Kettlebrough was the on-field umpire in that match. The Indian team was defeated by New Zealand in the final of the ICC World Test Championship to be held in the year 2021 and Kettlebrough was the TV umpire for the match.
Richard Kettlebrough during the 2019 ODI World Cup, Photo: IANS
The Indian team lost to Australia in the final of the 2023 World Test Championship and Richard Kettlebrough was also the on-field umpire for that match. Earlier, in 2019, India lost to New Zealand in the semi-final and Richard Kettlebrough was the on-field umpire in that match. Team India reached the semi-finals of the 2015 ODI World Cup and Richard Kettlebrough was the on-field umpire for the match, which India lost.
In the 2017 Champions Trophy, India had to face defeat against Pakistan. The Indian team reached the final of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2014. Richard Kettlebrough was the on-field umpire for this match. In this match too, India had to face defeat in the final. India reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in 2016 and Richard Kettlebrough was the on-field umpire in the match.
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