Kettleborough set to break England umpiring record

Richard Kettleborough has targeted umpiring in a century of Test matches as he prepares to become England’s most capped on-field umpire in the format.

The 52-year-old will stand in his 93rd Test match when West Indies face Australia in the second Test in Grenada, which starts on Friday.

Kettleborough said it will be a “huge honour” to claim the record outright as he prepares to move above his umpiring mentor David Shepherd and outright sixth on the all-time list.

“I honestly never imagined it would happen, but I’m very proud of my achievements”, Kettleborough told the England and Wales Cricket Board website.

“To overtake the late, great David Shepherd – who was one of my idols growing up – is something I’m very proud of.

” Shep always told me ‘ If you can look yourself in the mirror at the end of a day’s play and say you gave honest decisions based on what you saw, then you should sleep well’. And I can honestly say I’ve done that every single day of my career. “

Sheffield-born Kettleborough, whose Test umpiring career began in Galle 15 years ago, now hopes to become the first Englishman to stand in a century of Test matches.

” I’ve always seen Test cricket as the pinnacle of the game, “he added.

” So getting to 100 on-field Test matches would be the ultimate achievement. “