Gould and Llong join international umpiring panel

Jeremy Lloyds: stepping down for family reasons © Cricinfo

Nigel Llong and Ian Gould have been nominated to join the ECB's international umpire's panel, with Peter Hartley stepping up to become the new international TV umpire. The announcements follow today's expansion of the ICC's elite panel to include Mark Benson from England, plus Pakistan's Asad Rauf and the West Indian, Billy Doctrove.

"It is a fantastic achievement for Mark to have been given this opportunity," said Chris Kelly, the ECB umpires and match officials manager. "I have no doubt that he will fulfil his new role expertly and we wish him the best of luck. We have some highly qualified umpires to replace Mark ... all of whom have plenty of experience and expertise in the field."

Llong, formerly a TV umpire, said of his own appointment: "I am delighted and am looking forward to the challenges international cricket will provide. It is very exciting following in the steps of umpiring greats like David Shepherd and Dickie Bird who made such a lasting impression on the game in this country."

Gould, who played 18 one-day internationals for England and kept wicket in the 1983 World Cup, said: "I have never hidden my desire to officiate in international cricket so I'm very excited by this chance to progress to the next level. I'm looking forward to it."

The appointments follow the decision of Jeremy Lloyds to stand down from international umpiring for personal reasons. This follows two successful years of officiating at international level, including appointment to the Champions Trophy Panel in 2004. Lloyds umpired five Tests and 18 ODI matches during his international career.

Lloyds said: "I thoroughly enjoyed my time as an international umpire, but for family reasons I have decided not to continue. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ECB for all their encouragement and support over the past two years."