The ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier has had moments of thrills and excitement as Lagos, Nigeria has been the centre of action over the last 7 days. Away from the games on the Pitch, The Nigeria Cricket Federation in collaboration with the ICC match officials for the tournament (PCT), organized a special event for the home-based umpires, tagged ‘UMPIRE LEGACY PROGRAM’
The program which is a first of its kind was aimed at having interactive sessions and engagements between the Match officials for the tournament and members of the Home Board Umpire’s Association, where they could share their vast knowledge and experience with umpires and also provide clarity in certain areas around cricket officiating.
Areas of discussion include;
* Umpires as Partners
* Responsibilities of Umpires on and off the field
* Communication, Consultations and Body Language
* Game management and decision making
* Umpiring and Job Satisfaction, etc.
The program with over 60 persons in attendance provided the opportunity for participants to ask questions regarding various match scenarios, decision making and interpretations of the Laws to mention a few. The PCT which is led by the tournament referee Owen Chirombe, shared insights to cricket umpiring and also provided clarity and answers to questions that were raised during the session.
Reacting to the success of the program, The ICC Tournament coordinator Martin Ondeko, expressed his delight at the initiative while thanking the match officials for taking time on their rest day to be a part of the program. He further stressed the importance of having the best umpires engaged at all times as they play a major role in deciding the outcomes of every cricket match.