Sir Richie Richardson

Richardson, a former opening batsman, led the West Indies from 1991-1996 and scored 5,949 runs in 86 Tests and scored 6,248 runs in 224 One Day International (ODI) matches.  One of a handful of West Indies players that have been knighted, Richardson remains involved with the sport as he is now also an ICC match referee.

“The University of the West Indies is a very important institution to us as a Caribbean people and it’s ranked as one of the best universities in the region so for them to see the need to bestow such an honour on me, then I am deeply touched, honoured and I am very grateful,” Richardson told the Good Morning Jojo Radio Show.

“I was surprised to be honest because I never really expected it but when I realised that it was going to happen I was very excited and deeply honoured.”

Speaking at the event in Antigua and Barbuda, Richardson, 60, urged Caribbean people from “small islands” to never look at themselves as being small, because they all had big hearts and could compete with anyone in the world.

Richardson told the graduating class of 2022 that he was proud to be an ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda, and proud to represent the region as a cricketer.

He said he, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Curtly Ambrose, and Sir Andy Roberts were committed to developing the Four Knights Cricket Academy, which opened in 2015 in Antigua and Barbuda, to identify and support emerging cricket talent. He believed once the people of the WI remained focused and disciplined, it could keep producing outstanding cricketers.

“I remain optimistic and hopeful that the WI will return to being the best cricketing team in the world someday, hopefully pretty soon.”

Richardson encouraged the audience to remember where they came from and the opportunities they got because of their people and country. He added that having received higher education, they were the beginning of a cultural change in their families, communities and countries. They now had to find their niche and excel at it.

“It is important that you know your history and identity and use it to cultivate your present and your future. We are all from small island developing states and the harsh reality is that many persons in other parts of the world are not even aware of what our respective Caribbean islands are called or what ethnicities and cultures make up our people.

“But you can change this as you utilise your knowledge to strengthen sectors and create awareness of our existing cultures.”

He recalled, as a young man, wanting to be like great West Indian batsmen of the past, and wanting to make an impact on the world stage, which “lit a fire” in him for the game and to succeed.

Richardson represented the West Indies in 86 Tests from 1983-1995, scoring 5949 runs at an average of 44.39 with 16 centuries and 27 half centuries.

He also represented the region in 224 ODIs from 1984-1996, scoring 6248 runs at an average of 33.41 with five hundreds and 44 fifties.

Wilson, 57, boasts a wealth of experience, having stood in matches across all three formats of international cricket, and was also a member of the 2015, 2019 and 2023 Cricket World Cup match officials, while Richardson, 62, a West Indies legend, has been a prominent match referee since his appointment to the Elite Panel in 2015.

The two are among 20 umpires and six match referees, selected by ICC, to officiate in June 1-29 tournament, which will for the first time see 20 teams in action across 55 matches over 28 days at nine venues, making it the largest ICC T20 World Cup to date.

Also included on the elite list of umpires is last year’s winner of the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year, Richard Illingworth, along with Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel, who all featured in the 2022 T20 World Cup final between England and Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The match referees' team includes Ranjan Madugalle, who officiated the 2022 final, along with the format's most experienced referee, Jeff Crowe of New Zealand.

Crowe holds the record for officiating in most number of T20Is, having made 175 appearances, while Andrew Pycroft, also part of the elite list, is just one match away from reaching the milestone of 150 T20Is.

ICC’s General Manager Wasim Khan, reflected on the selection of the Match Officials for the historic event.

“We are pleased to announce our team of match referees and umpires for the historic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Within the selected cohort, we have a compliment of experienced match officials and other high performing members who have been recognized for their strong and consistent performances. The throughput from the pathway programme will continue to see the development and emergence of high-quality match officials across the game,” Khan said.

“With 20 teams and 55 matches played over 28 days, this will be the biggest T20 World Cup ever and we are proud of the team we have assembled. We are confident that our officials will perform strongly. We wish them all the best of luck for what promises to be a very exciting tournament,” he added.

The Match Officials for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024:

Umpires: Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Allahudien Paleker, Richard Kettleborough, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, Ahsan Raza, Rashid Riaz, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Shahid Saikat, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Asif Yaqoob.

Match referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath.