Know all about Richard Kettleborough, Umpire who officiated in 8 of 9 ICC knockouts which India lost
All you need to know about umpire Richard Kettleborough who is seen as one of the main reasons behind Team India's dismal run in the ICC knockouts.
Australia shattered a billion hearts by defeating India in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Indian team was not able to defend 241 runs in the final played in front of a jamp-packed Narendra Modi Stadium and lost its ninth ICC knockout match in the last ten years. The ‘Men in Blue' will now have to wait for the 2024 T20 World Cup if they wish to end their drought of an ICC title.
3 things you need to know
Who is Richard Kettleborough?
Richard Kettleborough is an experienced ICC elite panel umpire from England who has won the ICC Umpire of the Year award three consecutive times. Kettleborough played county cricket for Middlesex and Yorkshire and was a top-order batsman who used to bowl some medium-pace bowling.
The English umpire began his umpiring career in the year 2006 when the ECB added him to the list of first-class umpires. His first international match as an umpire was between England and Australia where he officiated for the first time in a T20I match. Later in 2009, he was lifted to ICC's full international panel wherein he was added to ICC's elite umpire's list in 2011.
Why Richard Kettleborough is one of the prime reasons behind India's CWC 2023 final defeat against Australia?
English umpire Richard Kettleborough is always seen as one of the premier reasons behind Team India's dismal run in the ICC knockouts. Kettleborough has officiated in eight of the last nine ICC knockout matches the Indian team has lost in the last ten years. Kettleborough was the third umpire during the India vs New Zealand 2021 World Test Championship final.
India's dismal form in the ICC knockouts started in the year 2014 when the Indian team reached the final of the T20 World Cup for the first time after the 2007 edition. The ‘Men in Blue’ then faced a six-wicket loss against Sri Lanka in Dhaka, This was also the first instance when Richard Kettleborough had officiated in India's ICC knockout match. After the heartbreak in 2014, the Indian team was in tremendous form in the 2015 ODI World Cup and was undefeated ahead of the semi-final against Australia. The ‘Men in Blue’ were not able to chase down the given total against the Aussies and lost the match by 95 runs. After the 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final against Australia, the Indian team lost to West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2016 semi-final, defeated by Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final and World Test Championship final 2021 loss against New Zealand. In the year 2023, the Indian team lost to Australia in the World Test Championship and the CWC final.
The 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final match against England was the only match where Richard Kettleborough was not among the match officials. However, the Rohit Sharma-led side went down to the English team by ten wickets.
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Can India end their dismal run in the ICC knockouts?
There were several reasons behind India's loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia. The ‘Men in Blue’ had dominated the whole tournament and were ruthless throughout the whole competition. They were just one step away from breaking the ten-year-old drought of an ICC title, but it was just one bad day that cost the match to the Indian team.
Published By : Ashish Kapoor
Published On: 25 November 2023 at 08:43 IST