The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced its panel of match officials for the 2023-24 extended cricket season, which will see the return of regional and departmental cricket after four years, significantly increasing the number of matches.

The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced its panel of match officials for the 2023-24 extended cricket season, which will see the return of regional and departmental cricket after four years, significantly increasing the number of matches. In the 2022–23 cricket season alone, 97 First XI matches were played, but following the restoration of the 2014 PCB Constitution, about 200 First XI matches will be played in the 2023–24 season.

To meet the increased demands and following an annual assessment process, the PCB has increased the number of match officials in each category. This gives match officials more options in the current system and also increases earning opportunities after the PCB decided to increase elite and supplementary body monthly fees by 20 percent.

In addition, the PCB has also increased match official fees, per diems and retirement benefits by 20 percent.
In the elite group of match referees, the PCB has added seven referees, bringing the number to 13. The seven new umpires who have been promoted are Aleem Khan Moosa, Athar Laiq, Bilal Khiljee, Kamran Chaudhry, Khalid Jamshed and Mohammad Aslam , and Sohail Idrees.

Similarly, and assuming eight top-flight matches will be played simultaneously, the PCB has increased the pool of elite umpires from 14 to 23. The nine-game officials promoted from auxiliary to elite umpiring panel are Abdul Moqeet and Aslam Bareach, Farooq Ali Khan, Ghulam Sarwar, Imranullah Aslam, Kashif Sohail, Majid Hussain, Qaiser Khan and Zulfiqar Jan.

The PCB has promoted nine match umpires to the adjunct, which will be involved in non-prime and Pathway cricket matches but is also available to represent elite match officials in First XI matches. This includes Saman Zulfiqar, who is the first female referee to reach this level. Others are: Abu-al-Hasnat Rao, Allah Ditto, Fazal Akbar Shah, Ghulam Mustafa, Inamullah Khan, Muhammad Amiruddin Ansari, Samiul Haq and Sohail Khan.

Meanwhile, the PCB has also confirmed the selection of referees for women's and international matches.

The women's umpires include Afia Amin, Humairah Farah, Nazia Nazir, Riffat Mustafa, Sabahat Rasheed, Saleema Imtiaz and Shakila Rafiq, while the international referees consist of Aleem Dar, Asif Yaqoob, Rashid Riaz Waqar and Faisal Khan Afridi (all referees) , Muhammad Javed Malik (Multan) and Ali Naqvi (both referees).

The PCB group, which reviewed the performance of match officials last season and decided on the panel for 2023–24, included: Shakil Ahmed Shaikh (Chairman - Domestic Restructuring Committee), Aizad Syed (Acting Director - Academies), Haroon Rashid (Chairman – Selection Committee). and Acting Director – Domestic Cricket), Saqib Irfan (Senior Manager – Domestic Cricket), Bilal Qureshi (Manager – Umpire and Umpire) and Abdul Hameed (Assistant Manager – Umpire and Umpire).

PCB PANEL OF MATCH OFFICIALS 2023-24

PCB Elite Panel of Match Referees (13)

Aleem Khan Moosa (Karachi), Ali Naqvi (Lahore), Athar Laiq (Karachi), Bilal Moinul Haq Khiljee (Lahore), Iftikhar Ahmed (Karachi), Kamran Chaudhry (Lahore), Khalid Jamshed (Lahore), Muhammad Anees (Lahore), Muhammad Aslam (Quetta), Muhammad Iqbal Sheikh (Hyderabad), Muhammad Javed Malik (Multan), Nadeem Arshad (Faisalabad) and Sohail Idrees (Lahore)

PCB Elite Panel of Umpires (23)

Abdul Moqeet (Lahore), Aleem Dar (Lahore), Aley Haider (Karachi), Asif Yaqoob (Islamabad), Aslam Bareach (Quetta), Faisal Khan Afridi (Sargodha), Farooq Ali Khan (Abbottabad), Ghulam Sarwar (Sibi), Imran Jawed (Karachi), Imranullah Aslam (Bahawalpur), Kashif Sohail (Khanewal), Majid Hussain (AJK), Muhammad Asif (Lahore), Muhammad Sajid (Charsadda), Nasir Hussain (Lahore), Qaiser Khan (Lahore), Rashid Riaz Waqar (Lahore), Saqib Khan (Abbottabad), Shozab Raza (Lahore), Syed Imtiaz Iqbal (Karachi), Tariq Rasheed (Lahore), Waleed Yaqub (Lahore) and Zulfiqar Jan (Charsadda)

PCB Supplementary Panel of Match Referees (11)

Abu-al-Hasnat Rao (Lahore), Ahmer Saeed (Karachi), Ali Gohar (Karachi), Allah Ditto (Islamabad), Fazal Akbar Shah (Peshawar), Ghulam Mustafa (Kasur), Inamullah Khan (Lahore), Muhammad Amiruddin Ansari (Karachi), Saman Zulfiqar (Sheikhupura), Samiul Haq (Faisalabad) and Sohail Khan (Lahore)

PCB Supplementary Panel of Umpires (28)

Abdul Karim (Naseerabad), Aftab Hussain Gillani (Bahawalpur), Ahmed Nadeem (Peshawar), Ahmed Shahab (Lahore), Aqeel Aadil Khan (Karachi), Asif Farooq Awan (Gujranwala), Dilshad Ali (Multan), Haroon Malik (Sargodha), Hashim Ali (Lodhran), Hassan Mahmood (Lahore), Irfan Haider (Islamabad), Kamran Khalil (Lahore), Khalid Mehmood Snr. (Karachi), Mir Dad (Islamabad), Muhammad Basit (Lahore), Muhammad Fayyaz (Peshawar), Muhammad Imran (Sargodha), Muhammad Irfan Dilshad (Lahore), Muhammad Kaleem (Lahore), Muhammad Waqas (Lahore), Qaiser Waheed (Lahore), Rafiq Ahmad (Dadu), Rana Muhammad Arshad (Faisalabad), Raza Asghar (Sheikhupura), Saleem Butt (Rawalpindi), Sultan Mahmood (Loralai), Syed Fahim Ahmed Bukhari (Karachi) and Waqar Ahmed (Islamabad)

PCB Development Panel of Umpires (40)

Aamer Atta (DG Khan), Abdul Qayoom (Karachi), Abdul Wasay (Kohat), Abrar Ahmed (Kasur), Adnan Rashid (Lahore), Ajmal Khan (Swat), Akhtar Ali (Karachi), Anser Mahmood (Pattoki), Asim Alvi (Karachi), Farooq Anwar Bajwa (Faisalabad), Farooq Jan (Charsadda), Ghayyur Hussain (Peshawar), Hameed Khan (Quetta), Hidayatullah (Pishin), Jaffar Hussain (Peshawar), Jamshid Hussain (Peshawar), Khalid Mahmood Jnr. (Quetta), Khalil Ahmad Siddiqi (Kasur), Maqbool Ahmed (Faisalabad), Mesam Turabi (Gujjar Khan), Muhammad Aamir Sharif (Kohat), Muhammad Arif (DI Khan), Muhammad Yousaf (DG Khan), Mumtaz Ali (Loralai), Munir Ahmed (Kasur), Naik Muhammad (Kohat), Nasar Khan (Mardan), Naseer Ahmed (Chakwal), Naushad Khan (Peshawar), Naveed Khan (Nowshera), Noor ul Hakam (Buner), Raweed Khan (Charsadda), Sagheer Ahmed (Lahore), Saifullah Khan (Sargodha), Shahid Qayyum (Faisalabad), Shamim Ansari (Karachi), Sohail Khan (Charssada), Sohail Zaman Khattak (Peshawar), , Waqas Zeb (Lahore) and Zeeshan Arif (Mirpur, AJK)

PCB Women’s Panel of Umpires (7)

Afia Amin (Lahore), Humairah Farah (Lahore), Nazia Nazir (Lahore), Riffat Mustafa (Kasur), Sabahat Rasheed (Lahore), Saleema Imtiaz (Karachi) and Shakila Rafiq (Kasur)

ICC International Panel of Match Officials (6)

 Aleem Dar (Lahore), Asif Yaqoob (Islamabad), Rashid Riaz Waqar (Lahore), Faisal Khan Afridi (Sargodha) (all umpires); Muhammad Javed Malik (Multan) and Ali Naqvi (Lahore) (both match referees)