Ind vs Eng: No neutral umpires in first two Test

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed the pair of Anil Chaudhary and Virender Sharma to stand alongside Nitin Menon in the first two Tests of the upcoming Ind vs Eng series.

Both matches will be played in Chennai, with the first Test starting on February 5 and the second from February 13.

 Thus continuing the trend of home umpires officiating in Tests ever since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.

Nitin Menon is the only Indian umpire to feature in the ICC’s Elite Panel who will be standing in his fourth Test match in Ind vs Eng series.

On the other hand, Anil Chaudhary and Virender Sharma who are part of ICC’s International Panel of umpires will be making their maiden appearances in the red-ball format.

While Anil Chaudhary has umpired in 20 ODIs and 28 T20Is, Sharma has officated in just two ODIs and one T20I.

• Read this: England’s Squad Announced for First Two Tests In India

The final two Tests will be played in Ahmedabad, including a day-night Test starting February 24 followed by the fourth and final Test from March 4.

 England’s Richard Illingworth was recently announced as a neutral on-field umpire for the two-match Test series between Bangladesh and West Indies. But that was facilitated by the ICC only because hosts Bangladesh do not have an umpire in the ICC’S Elite Panel.