Apart from players, umpires, and ground staff, there is a match referee who is equally responsible for ensuring that a match goes in a fair way. Through this article, we will look at the Top 5 Best Cricket Referees of all Time.
The primary role of a match referee in cricket is to see that all the rules are followed in the match. He is also the one who has to submit the report of the match once it is over. Let us assume that there is any conflict in the match, he is the first person to look into the matter and solve it. He also looks at whether the play will be played or how much of it will be cut short if there is rain in the match.
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Top 5 Best Cricket Referees of all Time: They Have Made the Greatest Impact Managing Matches Behind the Scenes?
Ranjan Madugall
He is basically from Sri Lanka and a former cricket player. Ranjan Madugall is the referee to officiate the most ODI matches, which is more than 400. Apart from this, he has also been the match referee in more than 170 T20Is and 200 test matches.
Ranjan Madugall won the ICC Referee of the Year in 2007 and was the first referee to officiate back-to-back ICC World Cup finals. Ranjan Madugall is also the first match referee to officiate in more than 400 matches. He is also in the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.
Mike Procter
Procter was a cricketer and played as an all-rounder for the South African cricket team. He started his journey in 2004 and ended it in 2018. During his time, he was the referee in more than 40 test matches, 130 ODIs, and 15 T20Is.
In 2012, he was given the South African Sports Legends Award. Mike Procter was also awarded the Merit Award for services to the game of cricket by Cricket Australia.
Jeff Crowe
He was the person behind bringing the Spirit of Cricket to cricket. It means all the players on the field should play in a fair manner. Everyone wants to win, but the game should be played as a gentleman’s match.
In 2010, he was given the New Zealand Cricket Service Award. He has been the match referee in more than 300 ODIs, 200 T20s, and 100 test matches. Currently, he is a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.
Chris Broad
Who doesn’t remember who Chris Broad was? He was an opening batter for the English Cricket team. In 2016, he was given the ECB Lifetime Achievement Award, and he is also an ICC Spirit of Cricket ambassador.
He has refereed more than 50 test matches, 20 T20s, and 200 ODIs. Currently, he is the Director of Referee Performance for the England & Wales Cricket Board. He is also a Consultant on ICC’s Code of Conduct review panels.
Roshan Mahanama
One of the achievements of Roshan Mahanama is that he was the first-ever referee from Sri Lanka to get his place in the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees. He is also one of the former referees on the Elite Panel of ICC Referees.
During the 2007 and 2011 World Cup Finals, he was the third referee. In 2020, he was in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Basically, he was the match referee in more than 45 test matches, 140 ODIs, and 40 T20Is.
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