The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the new fulltime elite panel of umpires to officiate in all Test matches from April - and the list does not include England's Peter Willey, who turned down an offer to join the panel, or Australia's Darrell Hair, the man who no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in a Test. The eight-man panel comprises an Englishman (David Shepherd), an Australian (Daryl Harper), a couple of South Africans (Rudi Koertzen and Dave Orchard) - the only pair from the same country - and a couple of former Test players (Venkat of India and Sri Lanka's Asoka de Silva). The set is completed by West Indian Steve Bucknor, regarded by many as the world's best umpire, and Zimbabwe's Russell Tiffin. Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh are the three Test-playing nations which are not represented on the list.

Two umpires from the elite panel will stand in all future Test matches, while one of them will officiate with a home umpire in one-day internationals.

Each Test captain was asked to make nominations for the panel, while the other key factor in whittling the current list of 20 international umpires down to eight was the marks given to each umpire by the captains at the end of each Test in the past four years. The final choice was made jointly by Malcolm Speed, ICC's chief executive, and Sunil Gavaskar, the chairman of its influential cricket committee.

"Umpiring is one of the toughest tasks in international sport, and this panel represents the best decision-makers in the game," said Speed. "Their skills will help improve the overall standard of umpiring at international level, and set an example for the next generation of top-class umpires to follow."

Willey cited family reasons for his decision to decline the invitation. "I would be required to be away from my family for a considerable amount of time if I took on the role," he said. "With this in mind I have decided that, at this stage of my career, I must put the needs of my family first."

Each member of the panel will stand in 12 Test matches and 15 ODIs a year on average, a potential workload of 75 days. Umpires have agreed two-year, fulltime contracts, and the first series to be played under the new system is the Sharjah tournament that begins on April 10. The first Test series under the new regime begins a day later, between West Indies and India.

Rob Smyth is on the staff of Wisden.com.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd