By james art 
Former Test fast bowler and Cricket NSW CEO David Gilbert made his debut as a men’s one-day international referee, officiating last night’s match between Australia and Pakistan at the MCG.
Gilbert played nine Test matches for Australia and a further 14 one-day internationals in the 1980s. His First Class and List-A career saw him feature in 127 First Class and 62 List-A matches both here and in the UK.
Following his playing and coaching career, Gilbert was CEO of Cricket NSW until he resigned in 2013.
Gilbert joined Cricket Australia’s team of officials in 2018/19 as part of CA’s additional refereeing group.
He made his first-class umpire debut in February 2020 in the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and South Australia at Bankstown Oval and went on to officiate 14 first-class matches. He made his debut as a KFC BBL referee in the match between Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Sixers the following season.
Ahead of last season, Gilbert was appointed by the International Cricket Council to the International Panel of Match Referees, subsequently making her debut in all three women’s international formats, culminating in a Test debut in the match between Australia and South Africa at the WACA Ground in Perth.
Last night Gilbert became only the 19th Australian match referee appointed to a men’s one-day international.