The ICC has appointed one of its most senior match referees to work with it on the reform of the international umpiring and refereeing panels.

Raman Subba Row, a former England Test batsman, ex-chairman of the English Test and County Cricket Board and an ICC referee since 1991, will work with senior managers at the ICC to develop detailed proposals on the restructuring of the current system.

February's ICC Executive Board meeting in Melbourne agreed to the principal of a major review of the present system, where independent Test match umpires are selected from a 20 strong panel nominated by full member countries (with the current exception of Bangladesh).

The proposal under development would work towards an elite panel of eight full time contracted umpires, who would be appointed to stand in most, if not all Tests. Appointment to this group would be purely on merit, reflecting the seniority and status of individuals based on, among other things, marks awarded by Test captains.

A similar approach is also planned for the ICC match referees panel. A full time group of up to eight referees will be contracted to the ICC and assigned to international series. A supplementary panel will be allocated to cover other ICC approved international tournaments.

Formal criteria will be introduced to encourage the recruitment of a new generation of referees to the panels.

"Raman is one of our most experienced referees and a highly respected figure who has been heavily involved in the game in senior positions over the years. As a current member of the referees' panel he is fully aware of the challenges faced by match officials in the contemporary game. We are delighted that he has agreed to work with us on this very important project," commented ICC Chief Executive David Richards.

A target date of April 2002 has been set for the introduction of both the new umpire and referee systems.

Media enquiries relating to this statement should be addressed to:

Mark Harrison
ICC Communications Manager
Tel: 00 44 (0) 20 7266 7913/1818
Email: mark.harrison@icc.cricket.org

© ICC