Dar and Doctrove to stand in Ashes opener

London:

Pakistan's Aleem Dar and Billy Doctrove of the West Indies will be the on-field umpires for the first Ashes Test between England and Australia, starting at Cardiff on July 8, it was announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday.

Officiating for the series will rotate through a group of cricket's top umpires with Doctrove being joined by South Africa's Rudi Koertzen for the second Test at Lord's.

Koertzen and Dar will stand in the third Test at Edgbaston, starting on July 30.

Meanwhile New Zealand's Billy Bowden and Pakistan's Asad Rauf will be the men in the middle for the fourth and fifth Tests at Headingley and the Oval.

Former New Zealand batsman Jeff Crowe will be the match referee for the first three Tests with Sri Lanka's Ranjan Madugalle overseeing the final two matches of the series.

Third umpires for the Tests, who are set to be drawn from the ranks of English officials, will be announced in due course.

ICC protocols on neutrality mean the likes of Australia's Simon Taufel, who for the past five years has been voted the global governing body's Umpire of the Year, are currently barred from being a standing umpire in Ashes Tests.


Ashes Test series officials


July 08-12, 1st Test, Cardiff

Umpires: Billy Doctrove (WIS) and Aleem Dar (PAK)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)


July 16-20: 2nd Test, Lord's

Umpires: Doctrove and Rudi Koertzen (RSA)

Match referee: Crowe


July 30-August 03: 3rd Test, Edgbaston

Umpires: Koertzen and Dar

Match referee: Crowe


August 07-11: 4th Test, Headingley

Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZL) and Asad Rauf (PAK)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)


August 20-24: 5th Test, The Oval

Umpires: Bowden and Rauf

Match referee: Madugalle