The ICC have announced their new full-time Elite Panel of umpires to officiate in all Test matches from April - and the list does not include Peter Willey, who declined the chance to join the Panel, or Darrell Hair. The eight-man panel includes 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 and Asoka de Silva). The set is completed by 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 to have no umpires on the list, and there was no place for BC Cooray.

Two umpires from the Elite Panel will stand in all future Test matches, while there will be one member standing with a home umpire for 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 over the past four years. The final choice was made jointly by Malcolm Speed, ICC's chief executive, and Sunil Gavaskar, the chairman of ICC's influential cricket committee.

"Umpiring is one of the toughest tasks in international sport and this panel represents the best decision makers in the game," Speed said. "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, full-time 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.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd