Doctrove picked for Champions Trophy

LONDON: Dominican umpire Billy Doctrove has landed himself a spot on the list of umpires for the ICC Champions Trophy limited-overs cricket series in Britain next month. Doctrove joins fellow West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor on the list of match officials for the competition involving the 10 Test-playing countries, as well as Kenya and the United States. All eight members of the elite panel of ICC Umpires, as well Doctrove and Englishman Jeremy Lloyds, both members of the international panel of ICC Umpires, will officiate on the field and as third umpires over the 12 preliminary matches. “I take it as a great honour to have been appointed for the ICC Champions Trophy,” Doctrove told CMC Radio Sports yesterday.

"“Over the past few series I have officiated, I reckon that I have done pretty well and I am hoping that I go and represent Dominica and the West Indies. “Everyone knows about Bucknor. He is one of the top umpires in the world now. If I can do very well there, it will show that West Indies has the ability to provide good umpires.” The 49-year-old Doctrove, who was given high marks for his work at the ICC Youth World Cup Bangladesh 2004 and the recent Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, has stood in two Tests and 35 limited-overs internationals.

He is looking forward to being part of the experimental use of technology during the ICC Champions Trophy, where standing umpires will be wired-up to TV stump microphones and TV replay umpires will call no-balls. “A few of the other umpires have experienced some of these innovations already, but I have not,” he said. “As long as it can help us to get our decision more accurate, I think that is the bottomline. It will be very interesting, but the technology will always be second to the human eye. For on-field umpires, where technology can be used to assist us, it should be.” Doctrove will stand in two matches and will be TV replay umpire in a third.

He will be in the middle alongside the long-standing Englishman David Shepherd for the opening day (September 10) match between New Zealand and the United States at The Oval in London in Group “A”. On September 14, Doctrove partners Australia’s Darrell Hair for the Group “C” contest between Pakistan and Kenya at Birmingham. The match referee in this match is the former West Indies captain, Clive Lloyd. His TV replay appointment will be for a key Group “D” match between hosts England and Sri Lanka at Southampton on September 17 when New Zealand’s Billy Bowden and Hair will be in the middle. Bucknor has four appointments during the preliminary phase —  two on the field and two in front of the TV screen.

He will stand along with Australia’s Simon Taufel in the key match on the opening day between England and Zimbabwe in Group “D” at Birmingham on September 10, and in the Trans-Tasman battle between world champions Australia and New Zealand in Group “A” at The Oval on September 16 along with South Africa’s Rudi Koertzen. The Jamaican will be TV replay umpire for the match between Australia and the United States at Southampton in Group “A” on September 13, and the final preliminary match in Group “C” on September 19 between India and Pakistan at Birmingham, where Clive Lloyd is also match referee. The former West Indies captain will also referee the Group “C” match between India and Kenya at Southampton on September 11.