New Zealand Cricket (NZC) today announced that umpire Wayne Knights will visit South Africa as part in the annual umpire exchange programme.
Knights, 41, will stand in two rounds of Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) four-day first-class competition in early February with fixtures in Cape Town and Centurion. In exchange, an umpire from South Africa will officiate in two Plunket Shield matches held in Rangiora and Napier in late February, early March.
New Zealand Cricket National Umpire Manager Rodger McHarg said: “As a recently promoted umpire to the NZC Elite Domestic Panel this is a great opportunity to broaden his umpiring experiences.
“A number of significant benefits are generated from exchanges like this, including the opportunity to experience a new cricketing environment and conditions, along with and the challenges associated with unfamiliar venues and different players.
“The programme not only provides a beneficial step along the development pathway for Wayne but his involvement will help grow the network of first-class umpires around the world.
“NZC are grateful for the support of High Performance Sport New Zealand through the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Elite Officials programme in New Zealand, which also enabled Chris Gaffaney to complete an umpiring exchange in Australia last year.”
The exchange of umpires between NZC and CSA has been on-going since 1998 and is the model now widely adopted by many other cricketing countries in support of the development of officiating standards.
NZC umpire exchange
2-5 February 2012: Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras vs Chevrolet Knights, Newlands, Cape Town
9-12 February 2012: Nashua Titans vs Sunfoil Dolphins, SuperSport Park, Centurion
CSA umpire exchange
24-27 February 2012: Canterbury Wizards vs Northern Knights, MainPower Oval, Rangiora
2-5 February 2012: Central Stags vs Auckland Aces, Match McLean Park, Napier
