Former South African Test all-rounder Mike Procter has been included on the International Cricket Council's elite panel of match referees.

Procter was named a member of the five-man panel along with Chief Referee Ranjan Madugalle of Sri Lanka, Clive Lloyd of the West Indies, Wasim Raja of Pakistan and India's Gundappa Viswanath (India).

All Test playing countries were asked to nominate candidates for the Referees panel and more than 30 were screened and interviewed by Chief Referee Madugalle during a recent worldwide recruitment tour. The final appointments were made jointly by Malcolm Speed and Sunil Gavaskar, chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee-Playing.

Between them the new panel has the experience of having played in almost 300 Test matches. Three of them - Lloyd, Madugalle and Viswanath - are former national captains.

Panel members have agreed two year, full time contracts with the ICC and will meet together for the first time at the Referees and Umpires Workshop near Cape Town, South Africa from 21st to 24th March. This will include seminars covering legal and procedural matters relating to cricket discipline, IT training, the psychology of decision making, the latest Playing Conditions for international cricket, a presentation from the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit, medical, fitness and media training.

Procter said he was "incredibly honoured" by the appointment. "I can only say I will do my utmost to serve cricket to the best of my ability. It is a real privilege and I would like to thank all those who have supported me and who have wished me well with this new challenge," he said.

United Cricket Board chief executive Gerald Majola congratulated Procter on his appointment.

"Mike has been one of the real drivers of transformation in South African cricket and he will be a very sad loss to the South African selection panel once he takes up his position on the ICC panel," said Majola. "However, we know what a wonderful ambassador Mike will be for South Africa and he will certainly bring to the ICC a genuine understanding of the issues with which we in South African cricket are faced. I would like to wish him well - we are all very proud of this latest of Mike's achievements."

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