Galle [Sri Lanka], November 21 (ANI): The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday congratulated Ranjan Madugalle on becoming the first Match Referee to officiate in 200 Test matches.

Madugalle, who is the Chief Referee of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, reached the landmark in the ongoing first Test between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Galle.

To mark the achievement, he was presented with mementos on behalf of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the ICC by SLC Vice President Dr Jayantha Dharmadasa and SLC CEO Ashley de Silva, respectively.

Apart from officiating in 200 men's Test matches, 369 men's ODIs and 125 men's T20Is, Madugalle has also supervised 14 women's ODIs and eight women's T20Is.

"Ranjan has been a tremendous asset over the years and a significant source of inspiration for others. We have benefitted from his experience and work ethic, as someone you can turn to for guidance," Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager - Umpires and Referees said in an ICC release.

"On behalf of the ICC, I would like to thank Ranjan for his years of service to the game and congratulate him on a wonderful career. We hope to continue benefiting from his expertise in the years to come," he added.

Madugalle enjoyed a decade-long international career for Sri Lanka as a cricketer, in which he played each of his country's first 18 Test Matches and enthralled spectators with his stylish stroke-play. He captained Sri Lanka in his final two Tests.

"It is an honour and a privilege to be officiating in my 200th Test match, for it is not a milestone I had never imagined I would reach. Whilst it has taken a long time, it seems just the other day that I had taken on this role, because I have enjoyed every bit of the journey," said Madugalle.

"This is obviously what dreams are made of and I continue to be passionately involved with the game and in my role while liaising with my colleagues from the world over.

"The passion obviously comes from my time as a player and it is my good fortune to have remained connected so closely with the game," he added.

Madugalle was appointed an ICC Match Referee in 1993. His first assignment was the Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi that December with a first ODI shortly afterwards.

A regular at all major ICC tournaments, he has served as ICC Match Referee for four ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Finals (1999, 2003, 2015 and 2019), three ICC Champions Trophy Finals (2004, 2006 and 2013) and four ICC Men's T20 World Cup Finals (2007, 2010, 2016 and 2021). (ANI)