Butler to make cricket umpiring history on Sunday at Arnos Vale

This Sunday December 15, 2024, cricket umpiring history will be made at the Arnos Vale Cricket Grounds, when Vincentian, Deighton Butler walks out for the first time on home soil to officiate in an international game.

This match will be the first of three Twenty/20 Internationals that the West Indies will be hosting involving the touring Bangladesh team.

Sunday’s game will also be the first time that an international cricket series will be played under lights at the Arnos Vale Cricket Grounds, following the successful hosting of five matches in the 2024 International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup in June.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT ahead of Sunday’s game, Butler said: “I am very excited about the opportunity to walk out in front of my home crowd at the Arnos Vale Playing Field on the 15th. It was always my dream to play an international game at home for the West Indies, but unfortunately, it did not materialize,” before.

“Arnos Vale is where I made my first class debut against South Africa ‘A’ team lead by Graeme Smith where I took four wickets in the first innings … and I was lucky to make my regional four-day debut there against Trinidad and Tobago as well where I scored 54 not out,” Butler recollected.

“So as you can see it holds great memories, I look forward to this series at home where I will be on field for two matches, and TV umpire for the other one, hoping that some of our younger umpires and present cricketers will take a lot of positives from seeing me out there and know that they too can go places and fly our great flag around the world, once they are prepared to put in the hard work, stay committed and be consistent.”

Butler was the fourth umpire for the West Indies versus Bangladesh Test match at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, November 22 – 26, 2024, and will be one of the on field umpires for the first and third T/20 Internationals on December 15 and 19, 2024, between West Indies and Bangladesh at the Arnos Vale Cricket Grounds. He will be the television umpire for the second T20 International on December 17, 2024.

“It will certainly be a great honour to be on the field as a Vincentian standing in an international match at our home of international cricket when that day comes … God’s will,” a beaming Butler concluded.

His former cricketing colleague, Kenroy Peters who formed a lethal bowling partnership with Butler for the Windward Islands said he was “extremely proud” of Butler, “for I know the quality of work he puts in and how hard he works. It is something he has been working towards and I wish him all the best as he embarks on this new chapter in his life”.

Butler was the reserve umpire for the first T20 International between the West Indies and England at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on November 9, 2024. Then alongside Gregory Brathwaite, he stood in his first international match on November 10, 2024 during the second T20 International between the West Indies and England at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.