Chettithody Shamshuddin

Chettithody Shamshuddin is an Indian umpire, born on March 22, 1970 in Hyderabad, he was a right handed batsman before becoming an umpire in 2012.

Early Career

Chettithody played for Bhartiya Cricket Club, Adams XI and Finecab CC in Hyderabad Cricket Association lower division league in the 1990s.

He was initially a middle order batsman and a medium pacer, later became leg spinner and took umpiring initially only as a side job to earn pocket money.

In 1997 he couldn't qualify, BCCI’s umpire examination and it was only in 2006, could he clear it.

For the first time he became an umpire in 2009-10 Ranji Trophy game.

Umpiring career

He made his debut as an umpire in first class cricket season in October 2012. He was selected to officiate in U19 World cup. He was nominated to the International Cricket Council's International Panel Of Umpires and Referees as a third umpire in 2013. He was named the Best Domestic Umpire 2012-2013 by Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI).

He is a member of Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires in the on-field category and was elevated to this in 2015. In 2016 he further moved to and was chosen in ICC Emerging Panel.

Stats

He has been an umpire in 11 T20 Internationals and seven ODI matches. He was a TV umpire in a Test match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in 2017.

Controversies

Chettithody career has been marked with controversies, one such occurring when he withdrew as from being one of the on field umpires in 2017, just before the start of the final T20 International match between India and England. In the same match he dismissed Joe Root in the final over and also turned down an England lbw appeal against Virat Kohli which in fact would have hit the middle and the off stumps. These decisions were really criticised.

In a test match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in July 2017, he ruled Sri Lankan player Dickwella not out when the camera angle showed him out. This was another such criticised decision of his.