Dubai, Jan 30 : The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced the match official for the group stage of the Menâ??s T20 World Cup 2026, beginning February 7.

In total, 24 officials will serve as on-field umpires, and six will be match referees during the group stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

The officials for the Super Eight and knockout stages will be announced later.

Kumar Dharmasena and Wayne Knights will be the on-field umpires for the opening match between Pakistan and the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo.

This match will mark Knightsâ?? first appearance at an ICC Menâ??s T20 World Cup, while Dharmasena continues to add to his extensive tournament experience.

Dharmasena was part of Sri Lankaâ??s ICC Menâ??s Cricket World Cup-winning team in 1996.

He has officiated in 37 matches at the ICC Menâ??s T20 World Cup, including the finals in 2016 and 2022. This achievement places him fourth on the all-time list for matches officiated in the competition.

Knights will also reach a significant milestone during the Group A match as he officiates his 50th T20 International as an on-field umpire. On the opening day in Kolkata, Nitin Menon and Sam Nogajski will take charge of the Group C match between Scotland and the West Indies.

Menon was part of the on-field umpire team for the first semi-final of the 2024 Menâ??s T20 World Cup between Afghanistan and South Africa. Nogajski officiated four group matches at the previous edition, including Indiaâ??s match against the USA.

India and the USA will meet later on 7 February in Mumbai, with Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker appointed as the on-field umpires.

Tucker holds the record among officials for most matches officiated at the ICC Menâ??s T20 World Cup, with 46 appearances so far. He is set to reach his 50th match during the tournament. The Australian will also officiate matches such as England versus Nepal, India against Namibia, and South Africa versus the United Arab Emirates.

Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth, who worked together in the 2024 final, will reunite for the Group B match between Australia and Ireland on 11 February. Illingworth will also be on-field with Dharmasena for the important group-stage match between India and Pakistan in Colombo on 15 February.

Match Referees:

Dean Cosker, David Gilbert, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson, Javagal Srinath.

Umpires:

Roland Black, Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Wayne Knights, Donovan Koch, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, KNA Padmanabhan, Allahuddien Paleker, Ahsan Raza, Leslie Reifer, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Gazi Sohel, Rod Tucker, Alex Wharf, Raveendra Wimalasiri, Asif Yaqoob.

/IANS