March 8, 2006	Wednesday	Safar 7, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

KARACHI, March 7: Australians are mainly going to be in-charge of the forthcoming one-day and Test series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, which starts later this month. The ICC has nominated former Australian fast bowler Alan Hurst, 55, as the match referee for all three One-day Internationals and the two-match Test series.

Steve Davis, the London-born Australia umpire from the ICC international panel, will stand in the one-dayers to be played in Colombo on March 17, 19 (both at R. Premadasa Stadium) and 21 (SSC Ground) along with a local field umpire.

The 53-year-old Davis, who last stood in a Test almost a year ago at Hamilton when New Zealand hosted South Africa, is set to partner South African Rudi Koertzen in the March 24-28 first Test at the SSC Ground in Colombo.

The second Test at the Asgiriya International Stadium in the hill town of Kandy from April 1 to 5 will be supervised by ICC’s elite panel Australian duo of Daryl Harper and Darrell Hair.

Meanwhile, Nadeem Ghauri, the Pakistani umpire on the ICC international panel, heads for Bangladesh to officiate in the four-match ODI series between the hosts and Kenya from March 17 to 25.