Patel Makes Men’s List A Debut

Sharad Patel today makes his men’s List A debut in Brisbane, officiating the Marsh One-Day Cup match between Queensland and South Australia.

Patel becomes the 44th NSWCUSA member to umpire at this level, doing so following his elevation to the Cricket Australia Supplementary Umpire Panel for the 2022-23 season.

State Umpiring Manager Darren Goodger praised Patel on the eve of his debut.

“Sharad is an outstanding match official. He umpires with humility, and with strength as well as being an exemplary team player, who is highly valued and widely respected for who he is, his character and his umpiring.

“You will never be a better umpire than you are a person and Sharad is an equally outstanding person. To earn respect one must show it and he respects all and sundry, visible by how he treats and engages with others.”

He began his umpiring career in 2015-16, taking out the Alan Marshall Medal for Rookie of the Year in the process.

In 2017-18 he made his Men’s First Grade debut, overseeing the first of 68 matches at that level, before going on to take out the Panel 2 Medal and the George Borwick Memorial Award for the first time.

After standing in the Round 1 Men’s Premier Cricket First Grade match between Sutherland and Northern District, he has umpired 115 matches across the grades, including a Fifth Grade Final and two consecutive Second Grade Finals.

Patel was promoted to the NSW State Umpire Panel ahead of the 2019-20 season, officiating his first matches in WBBL and WNCL before his first involvements with Second XI and as a BBL Fourth Umpire the following summer.

He has officiated at four Cricket Australia Underage National Championships, including the U19 Male tournaments twice, officiating the Final of last year’s carnival, held in Mackay.

For two years he was a member of NSWCUSA staff as Administration Officer and has continued to serve the Association as a volunteer in the years since, both as a member of the training team and on the Social Committee.

His on-field colleague is Queensland-based National Panel umpire Bruce Oxenford, with Donovan Koch as TV Umpire and Kepler Wessels the Match Referee.

Local scorers Doug O’Neill and Ted Williams are recording the match.