The International Cricket Council (ICC) have added two new names to the Emirates Elite Panel of Umpires for the upcoming cricketing year. Englishman Michael Gough and West Indian Joel Wilson will replace the retired umpiring duo - Ian Gould and Ravi Sundaram.
The selection panel consisting of ICC General Manager - Cricket, Geoff Allardice (Chairman), former player and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, and match referees Ranjan Madugalle and David Boon promoted Gough and Wilson to the Elite Panel following the annual review and selection process.
Both these umpires come with a lot of international level experience which have deservedly earned them a place in the Elite Panel. Gough has officiated in 9 tests, 59 ODIs and 14 T20Is, whereas, Wilson has stood in 13 tests, 63 ODIs and 26 T20Is.
As per ICC’s media release, this is what, ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees, had to say about the appointments: “Being an elite official is an extremely challenging job. Every decision is scrutinized by millions of fans and each match official is subject to a rigorous ongoing performance assessment throughout the year.
“We are fortunate to have some fantastic officials who are able to withstand the pressures of the job and deliver consistently on the international stage. Michael and Joel are deserving additions to the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and I wish them all the best for the coming season and for the future.”
The current members of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel include Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker.
The Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees remains unchanged with David Boon, Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Andy Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath the seven officials on that list.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ Lindsey Parnaby
