cricket umpire
In cricket, an umpire (from the Old French 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''. Besides ...
s appointed by the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global Sports governing body, governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England, and South Africa. In 1965, the body wa ...
to officiate in
Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Indoor cricket, Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (associa ...
and
One Day International
One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...
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 were 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, includ ...
,
Daryl Harper
Daryl John Harper (born 23 October 1951) is an Australian cricket umpire, who was a Test umpire between 1998 and 2011. He was a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires from 2002 until 2011 when the ICC announced that Harper was being stood d ...
Srinivas Venkataraghavan
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan (; born 21 April 1945), also known as Venkat, is an Indian former international cricketer and umpire. He was a right arm off break bowler and a lower order batter. He captained the Indian cricket team in test ...
,
Rudi Koertzen
Rudolf Eric Koertzen (; 26 March 1949 – 9 August 2022) was a South African international cricket umpire and former cricketer. A cricket enthusiast since his youth, he played league cricket while working as a clerk for South African Railways. ...
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
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective ...
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 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 Arthur Holmwoo ...
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, Go ...
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). The tournament was hosted bet ...
. On 16 March 2023,
Ahsan Raza
Ahsan Raza (born 29 May 1974) is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former cricketer. In November 2020, in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, he officiated in his 50th T20I match as an on-field umpire, becoming ...
and
Adrian Holdstock
Adrian Holdstock (born 27 April 1970) is a South African cricket umpire and former cricketer who now serves as an ICC international cricket umpire. He is part of Cricket South Africa's umpire panel for first-class matches.
Career
Holdstock play ...
joined the panel after
Aleem Dar
Aleem Dar PP ( Punjabi, ; born 6 June 1968) is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former first-class cricketer. He is a former member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. Dar won the David Shepherd Trophy three years in a row from 2009 to 2011, aft ...
stepped down from the panel.
In March 2024,
Sharfuddoula
Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat () (born 16 October 1976), also known as Sharfuddoula Saikat, is an international cricket umpire and a former first-class player from Bangladesh. He is the first Bangladeshi umpire to be included in the Elite Pan ...
was added to the Elite Panel after South African umpire
Marais Erasmus
Marais Erasmus (born 27 February 1964) is a South African former first-class cricketer who is currently serving as an international cricket umpire. He was a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and stands in matches in all three formats ...
retired from umpiring in international cricket and thus Sharfuddoula became the first umpire from Bangladesh to be included in this panel.
, Australia and England have jointly provided the most panel members with seven. South Africa with four, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and West Indies have provided three; Sri Lanka has provided two; Zimbabwe and Bangladesh has provided just one member. No members have featured from Afghanistan and Ireland, among the Full members.
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 (; born 21 April 1945), also known as Venkat, is an Indian former international cricketer and umpire. He was a right arm off break bowler and a lower order batter. He captained the Indian cricket team in test ...
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 was on the International panel of umpires from 2002 to 2003, before he, along with fellow Australian Simon Taufel, and New ...
, 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 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, includ ...
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 and former cricketer. A cricket enthusiast since his youth, he played league cricket while working as a clerk for South African Railways. ...
retired in 2010, while
Mark Benson
Mark Richard Benson (born 6 July 1958) is an English former cricketer and umpire. A left-handed batsman, Benson played for Kent for 17 years and represented England in one Test match and one One Day International in 1986. He later took up ump ...
, 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 cricket umpire, who was a Test umpire between 1998 and 2011. He was a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires from 2002 until 2011 when the ICC announced that Harper was being stood d ...
,
Simon Taufel
Simon James Arthur Taufel (born 21 January 1971) is an Australian former 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 is widely regard ...
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 inter ...
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, DJ, electronic musician and author. He dominated professional snooker in the 1980s, when he reached eight ...
retired in 2015. Sundaram Ravi 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). The tournament was hosted bet ...
.
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, Go ...
retired from the panel after the 2019 World Cup.
Bruce Oxenford
Bruce Nicholas James Oxenford (born 5 March 1960) is an Australian former 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 mat ...
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
*
Elite 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
__NOTOC__
This is a list of cricket umpires who have officiated at least one men's Test match. As of June 2025, 500 umpires have officiated in a Test match. Current members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, appointed by the Internatio ...
*
Development Panel of ICC Umpires
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 from the organisation's associate members; representativ ...