PSL4: ICC’s Michael Gough to umpire in Lahore

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced that the ICC’s international panel umpire Michael Gough will be coming to Lahore to umpire in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2019.

As per PCB, Gough, 39, will umpire in the 9 and 10 March matches between Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United, and Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, respectively. Appointments for the play-off and knock-out matches will be made closer to the event, but the 12 March Eliminator 1 between Team 3 and Team 4 will be the last match Lahore will stage in the 2019 edition.

Gough, a former first-class cricketer for Durham, has to date officiated in eight Tests, 49 ODIs and 13 T20Is since making his international debut in August 2013.

This will be Gough’s debut HBL PSL event, in which he will also be involved in the UAE leg, which will commence from 14 February in Dubai and culminate with the final in Karachi on 17 March. Out of 32 matches in 34 days, Lahore will host three matches, while five matches will be played in Karachi.

Sri Lanka’s Ranmore Martinesz will also be be seen umpiring in the HBL PSL 2019. The 51-year-old will complete a hat-trick of appearances in the HBL PSL and will be based in Karachi after completing his UAE assignments.

Earlier, the star-studded player roster of HBL PSL 2019 received a further boost with the addition of the West Indies T20 star trio of Andre Russell, Dwayne Smith and Andre Fletcher, in-form England top-order batsman James Vince, and South Africa’s duo of Hardus Viljeon and David Wise at the Replacement Player Draft.