The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled its official panels of umpires and match referees for the 2025–26 cricket season, showcasing a balanced combination of seasoned professionals and promising newcomers across both men’s and women’s categories.
Leading the lineup is Ali Naqvi, who heads the ICC International Panel of Match Officials as a match referee.
ICC International Panel
The panel includes five top officials recognized by the ICC: Ali Naqvi (Match Referee), Asif Yaqoob (Islamabad), Faisal Khan Afridi (Sargodha), Rashid Riaz Waqar (Lahore), and Saleema Imtiaz (Karachi). These individuals are eligible to officiate in international fixtures under ICC regulations.
PCB National Panels
In the Elite Panel of Match Referees, ten officials have been appointed: Aleem Khan Musa, Athar Laik, Bilal Moinul Haq Khilji, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kamran Chaudhry, Muhammad Aslam, Muhammad Iqbal Sheikh, Nadeem Arshad, Sohail Idris, and Ali Naqvi.
The National Elite Panel of Umpires features 18 prominent names including Abdul Muqit, Ali Haider, Asif Yaqoob, Faisal Khan Afridi, Farooq Ali Khan, Rashid Riaz Waqar, Khalid Mahmood Senior, and Zulfiqar Jan.
The Supplementary I Panel of Umpires includes 14 officials such as Asif Farooq Awan, Hassan Mahmood, Irfan Haider, Muhammad Fayyaz, and Syed Faheem Ahmed Bukhari, while the Supplementary II Panel consists of 24 recently promoted umpires, among them Noorul Hakam, Hidayatullah, and Maqbool Ahmed.
In addition, the Supplementary Panel of Match Referees lists 10 members including Abul Hasnat Rao, Ali Gohar, and Thaman Zulfiqar.
A 40-member Emerging Panel of Umpires has been established to groom new talent, with officials such as Aamir Atta, Adnan Rashid, and Muhammad Aamir Sharif.
The Women’s Panel features 13 umpires from across Pakistan, including Aafia Amin, Salima Imtiaz, Fakhra Kazim Syeda, Sania Ashraf, and Zakia Gul.
The PCB emphasized that these appointments aim to elevate officiating standards and foster professionalism in domestic and international cricket.
