Rather than pre-season meetings or indoor training sessions, the pair began 2026 with overseas placements that saw them control matches in South Africa’s SA20 competition and the prestigious Ranji Trophy in India.
The pioneering exchange programmes are designed to help umpires accelerate their career development, exposing them to new conditions, environments, players and pitches.
“It was probably as close as I could imagine to umpiring international T20,” said Blackwell, who enjoyed four appointments during a 10-day trip to Johannesburg and Cape Town.
“There was no real hiding place. It was a very high standard with big crowds.”
He added: “Experiences like that take you out of your comfort zone and help to break down those ‘what if?’ barriers: questions like ‘Am I good enough?’ There’s no substitute for actually standing out in the middle, and to do it on that sort of stage was invaluable.”
For both Blackwell and White, these trips provided their first overseas appointments.
White said: “Cricket is cricket to a certain extent, but there are different protocols in how they umpire (in India) and how they go about things. From a learning perspective, you’re outside your comfort zone because you don’t know the players and they don’t know you. You have to make a quick impression and show that you’re confident in doing the job you’re doing.”
White’s preparation for his trip included a Teams call with the umpires he was due to stand with.
“I was very much a guest in their cricket, so I followed their lead in how they went about things,” he said.
“But the whole experience was completely invaluable. For anyone who has ambitions to progress and umpire at the next level, trips like this give you experience of officiating in different conditions before you step into international cricket. I can’t speak highly enough of it. It was a hugely positive experience.”
He added: “Even if I do go on to umpire international cricket, I might not ever again have the chance to officiate in someone else’s domestic competition. To do it in the Ranji Trophy, which has such a long history, was a real privilege and something I’ll always remember. I hope it acts as a springboard for me to continue progressing and improving.”
Blackwell agreed with White’s assessment.
“As umpires, we all have similar goals and aspirations. You have your set routines, and everyone wants to be the best they can be,” he said.
“The ideology of umpiring is about striving for excellence and relying on your partner as much as possible. Going to the SA20 and working as part of a different team was a great experience. I’ll certainly take a lot from it.”
The exchange will see an Indian umpire stand in Rothesay County Championship matches during June and an umpire from South Africa officiate in The Hundred.
Previously, Sure Redfern has benefitted from the programme having umpired in Australia’s Big Bash League.
Richard Glynne-Jones, head of officiating at the ECB, said: “The feedback we’ve received from both India and South Africa has been excellent. The benefits of these trips to Rob and Ian are significant, and hopefully they can share their learnings with their ECB colleagues over the coming weeks and months.
“When the opportunities arise, we’ll always encourage our umpires to go on exchange programmers like this. They’re a key part of developing even better umpires that will benefit the game for years to come.”