51 new cricket umpires presented with certificates
Sri Lanka CricketNews article
Certificates were recently presented at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters to 51 new cricket umpires who passed the Level 5 umpires' examination organised by Sri Lanka Cricket.
This group comprises 47 male umpires and four female umpires, all newcomers who have met the basic qualifications required to officiate as a cricket umpire in Sri Lanka.
The examination was held on 3 May 2026 at Nalanda College, Colombo. Those who qualified will now have the opportunity to officiate in district and provincial level tournaments organised by Sri Lanka Cricket.
The recruitment of these new umpires can be seen as another step in the programme Sri Lanka Cricket is carrying out with the aim of deploying a sufficient number of umpires for school, district and provincial level cricket matches and of maintaining officiating standards in an organised manner. Umpire recruitment is not an annual process; it is conducted as the need arises.
Within the Sri Lanka Cricket umpire development process, which begins at Level 5, umpires are given the opportunity to progress to higher levels based on their commitment, ability and performance. Accordingly, they have the chance to move through Levels 4, 3 and 2 and be promoted to first-class umpire status.
Sri Lanka Cricket maintains a first-class panel of 20 umpires, and that panel also serves as the principal pool of umpires considered for nomination to the International Cricket Council (ICC) international panel of umpires.
Mr Asoka de Silva, a former Sri Lanka cricketer and former member of the ICC Elite Panel who serves as a member of Sri Lanka Cricket's domestic cricket committee, and Mr Lyndon Hannibal, a former ICC umpire who serves as senior manager of Sri Lanka Cricket's umpire development department, also attended the certificate presentation ceremony.
This programme gives the new umpires the opportunity to move forward while gaining experience in domestic cricket, and will also contribute to strengthening the field of cricket officiating in Sri Lanka.
Media Division
Sri Lanka Cricket
Based on Sri Lanka Cricket reporting