ICC announces Associate and Affiliate International Panel of Umpires

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the inaugural Associate and Affiliate International Umpires Panel.

Six umpires from Bermuda, Germany, Indonesia, Kenya, Namibia and Nepal have been appointed to the panel following a review of their performances over the last 12 months.

The appointees are:

Members of the Associate and Affiliate International Umpires Panel will be eligible for appointments to ODIs involving ICC Associate Members, ICC Intercontinental Cup matches and other Associate and Affiliate tournaments.

High-performing umpires may also be considered for other ICC events, including the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup, and could also be invited to be involved in the ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Cricket World Cup.

The creation of the Associate and Affiliate Umpires Panel follows a review of umpiring structures for the ICC Development Program and its five Regions.

It supersedes the ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel, created in 2005, and will serve as the pinnacle for umpires from non-Test playing Members, with selection achieved through each of the five ICC Development Program Regional Umpires Panels.

ICC Umpires and Referees Manager Doug Cowie said the pathway created by the new structure means umpires from the 86 Associate and Affiliate Members now have the opportunity to stand at the highest levels of the game if their performances merit it.

"It is important we target umpires, not just from the ICC Full Members but also from all other ICC Members, as officials are just as important as players for the growth of the game" said Mr Cowie.

"The six members of the ICC Associate and Affiliate International Panel of Umpires can take pride in their selection and each of them now has a pathway to elite cricket.

"I also hope their selection will inspire them to work with other umpires in their respective regions to raise the overall standard of umpiring in the developing cricket world," he added.

One member of the panel, Bermuda fireman Roger Dill, has already stood in five ODIs, alongside Emirates Elite Panel members Simon Taufel and Darrell Hair during the Bermuda-Canada-Zimbabwe tri-series in Trinidad and the Ireland-England match in Stormont respectively.

Dill, along with Paul Baldwin, Buddi Pradhan and Shahul Hameed also stood in February's ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka.

Another member of the newly-created panel, Subhash Modi of Kenya, will stand alongside Hair in Tuesday's ODI between Scotland and Pakistan in Edinburgh.

The establishment of the Associates and Affiliates International Panel of Umpires is part of the ICC's commitment to raising the standards of decision-making in international cricket.