Ranjan Madugalle made history in the
third and final cricket Test between India and Pakistan in
Bangalore on Saturday when he became ICC's first Match Referee
to complete a century of Tests. With this, the 48-year-old
becomes the first Match Referee to reach three figures. He has
also officiated in 209 ODIs thus completing a rare double.
Madugalle now leads West Indies' Clive Lloyd by a distance.
Lloyd, a former West Indies captain, officiated in 53 Tests and
133 ODIs between November 1992 and February 2007. As a player
Madugalle represented Sri Lanka in 21 Test matches and 65 ODIs
between 1979 and 1989. He was captain from 1987 to 1989 and
served two spells as a national selector in his home country.
He was appointed to the ICC match
referees panel in 1994 and became the first person to hold the
position of chief match referee in 2001, a post he still
occupies. He has taken charge of two ICC Cricket World Cup
finals, in 1999 and 2003, and is one of the most experienced and
highly respected officials in the game. "I feel happy and
privileged that I have been able to officiate in 100 Tests," he
said. "I am also happy that I have been able to discharge my
duties in a professional way for the past few years. "The only
goal I have always set for myself is to work and perform to the
best of my ability and to keep enjoying what I do. "It has been
a fascinating experience graduating from being a player to being
a match official and it has been great to work with different
umpires, top captains and everyone involved with this great
game," he said. A modest Madugalle said he prepared for the
Bangalore Test as it was just another match. "Records don't mean
much to me. It is just another match for me and I prepared
myself to carry out the role as it was my first Test," he said
"Ahead of every Test series in which I am involved, I try to
follow the two teams on TV to get better understanding as to
what the teams and its players do. I would then check out with
the match officials who have done the recent series with those
teams to see what has to be followed up to ensure consistency.
"Paper work is another aspect that one needs to go through
thoroughly. Preparation is the key in any job and so it is with
refereeing too," said Madugalle. Reflecting on the evolution of
the referee's role, Madugalle said: "When I started refereeing,
it was on an ad-hoc basis and I used to referee by taking leave
from my employers. The role and the concept have changed
significantly since then and it has now become a career.
Madugalle had words of wisdom for all those former cricketers
who want to take up the match referee's role. "They must have a
very good knowledge of the playing conditions and other aspects
that come under them. "Communication and man-management skills
are an important area in the job so having that will be a huge
advantage. Above all they must like it and have the passion to
do it.
