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Michael Gough of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires will make his Test debut when he will officiate in the first Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand in Bulawayo on Thursday.

The 36-year-old, who has officiated in 16 One-Day Internationals and seven Twenty20 Internationals to date, has been named to officiate in the series along with Paul Reiffel of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. David Boon of the Emirates Elite Panel of Match Referee will be the match referee.

Gough is a former first-class cricketer who represented Durham in 67 matches from 1998 to 2003 and scored 2 952 runs and took 30 wickets with his off-spin bowling. In 2006, he was appointed to the England and Wales Cricket Board’s reserve list and three years later was included in the first-class panel.

Gough made his ODI debut in Cardiff when he officiated in the third match between England and Australia in July 2013. A month later, he made his T20I debut by standing in the second match of the series in Chester-le-Street.

Gough was included in the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires in 2012-13 and also officiated in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016. He is now set to become the 482nd umpire to officiate in Test matches.

An excited Gough said he was “absolutely delighted” to be officiating in Test cricket.

“This has come to me because of a combination of hard work, persistence and the ICC umpires’ coaching systems. Test cricket is the ultimate form for any player and so it is for umpires. The five days on the field are a test of mental and physical strength,” he said. — ICC.