cricket umpire
In cricket, an umpire (from the Old French ''nompere'' meaning not a peer, i.e. not a member of one of the teams, impartial) is a person who has the authority to make decisions about events on the cricket field according to the ''Laws of Cricket ...
s appointed by the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
s around the world. The panel was first established in April 2002 when the ICC decided to reform the way that international cricket was umpired. The main change was that both umpires in a Test match and one of the umpires in a One Day International are now independent of the competing nations, whereas before 2002 just one of the umpires in a Test was independent and in ODIs both umpires were from the home nation. The majority of these ICC appointments are fulfilled by the members of the Elite Panel, who are generally thought to be the best umpires in the world. As such the ICC hopes to ensure that umpiring standards are as high as possible. Members of the panel stand in around 10 Tests and 15 ODIs each year.About ICC – Match Officials The list of umpires in the panel is revised every year by the ICC Umpires Selection Panel.
History
The panel was formed in 2002 with eight members.
Peter Willey
Peter Willey (born 6 December 1949) is a former English cricketer, who played as a right-handed batsman and right-arm offbreak bowler. In and out of the England team, he interrupted his international career for three years by taking part in the ...
was invited to be on the panel, but declined the opportunity because it would have required him to spend too much time away from his family. The last members of the original panel retired in 2011. The original eight panel members were:
Steve Bucknor
Stephen Anthony Bucknor, OJ (born 31 May 1946) is a Jamaican former international cricket umpire.
Bucknor umpired in a record 128 Test matches between 1989 and 2009, and also umpired in 181 One Day Internationals during this period, including ...
,
Daryl Harper
Daryl John Harper, (born 23 October 1951) is an Australian umpire (cricket), cricket umpire, who was a List of Test cricket umpires, Test umpire between 1998 and 2011. He was a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires from 2002 until 2011 when t ...
Srinivas Venkataraghavan
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan ( (informally Venkat, born 21 April 1945) is an Indian former cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team at the first two ICC Cricket World Cups, and later became an umpire on the elite International Cric ...
,
Rudi Koertzen
Rudolf Eric Koertzen (; 26 March 1949 – 9 August 2022) was a South African international cricket umpire. A cricket enthusiast since his youth, he played league cricket while working as a clerk for South African Railways. He began umpiring in ...
Russell Tiffin
Russell Blair Tiffin (born 4 June 1959) is a Zimbabwean cricket umpire and former cricketer. He was a member of the ICC International umpire panel from 1995 to 2018 when he retired.
Early life
Tiffin was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (n ...
.
Members of the
International Panel of ICC Umpires
The International Panel of ICC Umpires was established by the ICC in 1994 following trial in 1992/3, to ensure that one neutral umpire would stand in every Test match. The best performing umpires may earn promotion to the Elite Panel.
Emirates
Emirates may refer to:
* United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country
* Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir
** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf
** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates
* The Emirat ...
sponsors the panel, and the umpires are required to wear shirts and coats which have 'Fly Emirates' printed on them whenever they are officiating. In July 2019,
Michael Gough
Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British character actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthu ...
and Joel Wilson were added to the Elite panel following the retirement of
Ian Gould
Ian James Gould (born 19 August 1957) is an English former first-class cricketer and a former member of the ICC Elite Panel of cricket umpires. He previously also served as the chairman of English football club Burnham FC. In April 2019, Gou ...
and exclusion of
Sundaram Ravi
Sundaram Ravi (born 22 April 1966) is an Indian cricket umpire who was a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires between 2015 and 2019. After making his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut in 2011, he officiated in over 100 international match ...
after the
2019 Cricket World Cup
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 12th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted between 30 May ...
.
, Australia and England have jointly provided the most members of the panel with seven. South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies and India have provided three each; Pakistan and Sri Lanka have provided two each; and Zimbabwe have provided just one member.
Current members
cricket season the Elite Panel consists of:
Former members
The first departures from the panel came in 2004 when
Srinivas Venkataraghavan
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan ( (informally Venkat, born 21 April 1945) is an Indian former cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team at the first two ICC Cricket World Cups, and later became an umpire on the elite International Cric ...
Russell Tiffin
Russell Blair Tiffin (born 4 June 1959) is a Zimbabwean cricket umpire and former cricketer. He was a member of the ICC International umpire panel from 1995 to 2018 when he retired.
Early life
Tiffin was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (n ...
did not have their contracts renewed. David Shepherd retired in 2005 following 22 years as an international umpire.
Darrell Hair
Darrell Bruce Hair (born 30 September 1952) is an Australian former Test match cricket umpire, from New South Wales. He stood on the International panel of umpires from 2002 to 2003, before he, along with fellow Australian Simon Taufel, and Ne ...
, who joined the panel in 2003, was banned from officiating in matches involving full ICC members following the
Ball tampering controversy in August 2006
In 2006, during the fourth day of the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at The Oval, umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove ruled that the Pakistani team had been involved in ball tampering. The Pakistani players refused to take the fi ...
. In March 2008, following a spell officiating associate members, Hair was once again permitted to umpire full members, but in August he handed in his resignation after he was only allowed to officiate in two tests.
Steve Bucknor
Stephen Anthony Bucknor, OJ (born 31 May 1946) is a Jamaican former international cricket umpire.
Bucknor umpired in a record 128 Test matches between 1989 and 2009, and also umpired in 181 One Day Internationals during this period, including ...
retired in 2009, having stood in a then record 128 Tests since March 1989.
Rudi Koertzen
Rudolf Eric Koertzen (; 26 March 1949 – 9 August 2022) was a South African international cricket umpire. A cricket enthusiast since his youth, he played league cricket while working as a clerk for South African Railways. He began umpiring in ...
retired in 2010, while
Mark Benson
Mark Richard Benson (born 6 July 1958) is an English former cricketer and umpire. Benson played for England in one Test match and one One Day International in 1986. He later took up umpiring and spent time on the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.
Ea ...
, who had joined the panel in 2006, stood down to return to domestic cricket. Asoka de Silva, who rejoined the panel in 2008, was stood down again in 2011 along with
Daryl Harper
Daryl John Harper, (born 23 October 1951) is an Australian umpire (cricket), cricket umpire, who was a List of Test cricket umpires, Test umpire between 1998 and 2011. He was a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires from 2002 until 2011 when t ...
,
Simon Taufel
Simon James Arthur Taufel (born 21 January 1971) is a former Australian cricket umpire who was earlier a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. He won five consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards between 2004 and 2008, and was generally cons ...
and
Billy Doctrove
Billy Raymond Doctrove (born 3 July 1955) is a Dominica former international football referee, but is best known as an international cricket umpire.
Career as a FIFA referee
During his time as a referee Doctrove took charge of several internat ...
retired in 2012 and
Steve Davis
Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, musician, DJ, and author. He is best known for dominating professional snooker during the 1980s, when he rea ...
retired in 2015.
Sundaram Ravi
Sundaram Ravi (born 22 April 1966) is an Indian cricket umpire who was a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires between 2015 and 2019. After making his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut in 2011, he officiated in over 100 international match ...
was dropped from the panel after
2019 Cricket World Cup
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 12th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted between 30 May ...
.
Ian Gould
Ian James Gould (born 19 August 1957) is an English former first-class cricketer and a former member of the ICC Elite Panel of cricket umpires. He previously also served as the chairman of English football club Burnham FC. In April 2019, Gou ...
retired from the panel after the 2019 World Cup.
Bruce Oxenford
Bruce Nicholas James Oxenford (born 5 March 1960) is a former Australian cricket umpire and a former cricketer. He has been an ICC international umpire since 2008, when he first umpired an ODI match. He went on to stand in his first Test match ...
retired from the panel in 2021.
''Former elite panel members can still umpire in ODIs and international T20s. Statistics correct as of 31 January 2021.''
* Original panel member
^de Silva was absent from the panel between 2004 and 2008.
Records
Test matches
Most Test matches as an umpire:
ODI matches
Most ODI matches as an umpire:
T20I matches
Most T20I matches as an umpire:
See also
*
Panel of ICC Referees
The Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees is composed of former international cricket players who are appointed by the ICC to oversee all Test match, One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket matches in the capacity of Match referee. ...
*
International Panel of ICC Umpires
The International Panel of ICC Umpires was established by the ICC in 1994 following trial in 1992/3, to ensure that one neutral umpire would stand in every Test match.List of Test umpires
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpire Panel
The International Panel of ICC Development Umpires is a panel of international cricket umpires chosen by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Established in 2005, its members are drawn primarily (though not exclusively) from the organisation' ...