The Indian cricket team fans have breathed a sigh of relief as the ICC has announced Chris Gaffaney and Rod Tucker as the on-field umpires of the India vs England semifinal. It isn’t Gaffaney or Tucker’s incredible umpiring that makes Indian fans happy, but rather the fact that Richard Kettleborough won’t officiate the match.
Despite being a fine umpire, Kettleborough’s presence irks Team India fans. With him present on the field, Team India has lost multiple ICC knockout games in the last decade, including the ODI World Cup Final last year. The English umpire is seen as a ‘serious jinxer’ by many Indian fans, and they are ecstatic that he won’t be officiating the India vs England semifinal.
Umpires for India vs England semifinal
- Referee: Jeffrey Crowe
- On-field Umpires: Chris Gaffaney and Rod Tucker
- Third/TV Umpire: Joel Wilson
- Fourth Umpire: Paul Reiffel
Kettleborough will still feature in the T20 World Cup semifinals. He’ll be the third/TV umpire for the South Africa vs Afghanistan match, with Richard Illingworth and Nitin Menon as the on-field umpires, Richie Richardson as the referee, and Ahsan Raza being the fourth umpire.
India’s record in ICC knockout matches with Richard Kettleborough as the umpire
- 2014 T20 World Cup Final (lost to Sri Lanka)
- 2015 ODI World Cup Semifinal (lost to Australia)
- 2016 T20 World Cup Semifinal (lost to the West Indies)
- 2017 Champions Trophy Final (lost to Pakistan)
- 2019 ODI World Cup Semifinal (lost to New Zealand)
- 2023 ODI World Cup Final (lost to Australia)
