Local umpires will shine in CPL - Malcolm

President of the Jamaica Cricket Umpires Association, Patrick Malcolm said the appointment of Patrick Gustard and Denavon Hayles to the cadre of umpires and match referees for this year's Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) competition is a major boost for the development of the sport in the country.

Malcolm told The Gleaner that Gustard and Hayles have demonstrated over the past few years that, are among the best umpires in the regional and, therefore, he expects them to do well in the tournament.

'A big plus'

"It is a big plus for the Jamaica Cricket Umpires Association and also to the country," said Malcolm.

"It shows that we have been making progress on all fronts as it relates to match officiating because, as you know, the match referee is an integral part of the sport," he said.

"Denovan has been doing very well and Patrick is exceptional, because this is not the first year that he will be working as a CPL match official. The reality is that he has demonstrated, without any doubt, that he is one of the most outstanding umpires in the CPL cadre," Malcolm said.

Malcolm added that Gustard did well in the competition last year, and he was not surprised by his appointment this time around.

"I am not surprised that he is in this year. So we are expecting great things from him. He is probably one of the few umpires that is not on the international panel that will be officiating in the CPL," Malcolm said.

"He has consistently been doing very well in the regional competitions because if you check his history, you would have noticed that he has been officiating in a lot of finals and semi-finals," he said.

Malcolm also noted that Hayles has been excelling on the international stage, where he was a match referee in the Global T20 Canada competition last month.