New Zealand umpire Chris Gaffaney will become the 479th test cricket umpire after being appointed to officiate the match between Zimbabwe and South Africa beginning on Saturday.
Gaffaney will become the first Kiwi to make his test debut in 13 years when he takes the field in Harare, Zimbabwe and will be the 50th New Zealander to umpire at test level. He will be joined by Pakistan's Aleem Dar.
New Zealand Cricket match officials manager Rodger McHarg said Gaffaney, who had been umpiring at first-class level since 2008, was more than deserving of the opportunity.
"Chris has put in a lot of hard work to get to where he is now and we're extremely pleased to see him given the chance to make the step up," McHarg said.
