The Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees is composed of former international cricket players who are appointed by the ICC to oversee all Test match, One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket matches in the capacity of Match referee. The referees are ultimately in charge of all international cricket matches, and act as the ICC's representative at the grounds. In addition they are responsible for imposing penalties for infringements of the ICC Code of Conduct, and so being ex-international cricketers they can ensure that the punishments dealt out are just. The referees also form part of the ICC's umpire performance review, submitting reports about the umpires after each match.
Current members
editAs of 31 May 2026 the ICC Elite Panel consists of:[1][2]
| Referee | Date of birth | Age | Tests | ODIs | T20Is | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranjan Madugalle[3] | 22 April 1959 | 67 years, 45 days | 231 | 418 | 193 |  Sri Lanka |
| Jeff Crowe[4] | 14 September 1958 | 67 years, 265 days | 135 | 347 | 212 |  New Zealand |
| Javagal Srinath[5] | 31 August 1969 | 56 years, 279 days | 86 | 281 | 155 |  India |
| Andy Pycroft[6] | 6 June 1956 | 70 years, 0 days | 108 | 251 | 212 |  Zimbabwe |
| Richie Richardson[7] | 12 January 1962 | 64 years, 145 days | 61 | 111 | 136 |  West Indies |
Past members
editThe following people were included in the inaugural panel of elite referees but have since retired:
| Referee | Date of birth | Joined Panel | Left Panel | Tests | ODIs | T20Is | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gundappa Viswanath | 12 February 1949 | 2002 | 2004 | 15 | 80 | 0 | India |
| Wasim Raja | 3 July 1952 | 2002 | 2004 | 15 | 35 | 0 |  Pakistan |
| Clive Lloyd | 31 August 1944 | 2002 | 2007 | 53 | 133 | 2 | West Indies |
| Mike Procter | 15 September 1946 | 2002 | 2008 | 47 | 162 | 15 |  South Africa |
| Alan Hurst | 15 July 1950 | 2004 | 2011 | 45 | 102 | 26 |  Australia |
| Roshan Mahanama | 31 May 1966 | 2004 | 2015 | 61 | 222 | 36 | Sri Lanka |
| Chris Broad | 29 September 1957 | 2003 | 2024 | 123 | 361 | 138 |  England |
| David Boon | 29 December 1960 | 2011 | 2025 | 87 | 183 | 119 | Australia |
Controversies
edit2006 ball-tampering controversy
editMike Procter was criticised for failing to persuade umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove to continue with the match, which was awarded to England when Pakistan refused to take the field in protest at being accused of ball tampering.[8]
2007 Cricket World Cup Final
editJeff Crowe was seen as ultimately responsible for the failure of the five match officials (himself and umpires Bucknor, Dar, Koertzen and Bowden) to adhere to the ICC's playing conditions regarding to the number of overs required before Duckworth-Lewis can determine the outcome of a match.
This resulted in Australia and Sri Lanka having to play out three overs in near darkness, since they had been told they would otherwise have to return and play out the overs the following day. In the aftermath of this fiasco, Crowe apologised on behalf of the playing control team for the error.[9]
Records
editTests
editMost Test matches as a referee as of 31 May 2026:[10]
| Referee | Period | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Ranjan Madugalle | 1993–present | 231 |
| Jeff Crowe | 2004–present | 135 |
| Chris Broad | 2003–2024 | 123 |
| Andy Pycroft | 2009–present | 108 |
| David Boon | 2011–2025 | 87 |
ODIs
editMost ODI matches as a referee as of 31 May 2026:[11]
| Referee | Period | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Ranjan Madugalle | 1993–present | 418 |
| Chris Broad | 2004–2024 | 361 |
| Jeff Crowe | 2004–present | 347 |
| Javagal Srinath | 2006–present | 281 |
| Andy Pycroft | 2009–present | 251 |
T20Is
editMost T20I matches as a referee as of 31 May 2026:[12]
| Referee | Period | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Crowe | 2005–present | 212 |
| Andy Pycroft | 2009–present | 212 |
| Ranjan Madugalle | 2006–present | 193 |
| Javagal Srinath | 2006–present | 155 |
| Chris Broad | 2005–2024 | 138 |
References
edit- ↑ "Sharfuddoula becomes the first Bangladesh umpire to be included in the ICC Elite Panel". ICC. 28 March 2024.
- ↑ "ICC Elite Referee Panel". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ↑ "Ranjan Madugalle". Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ↑ "Jeff Crowe". Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ↑ "Javagal Srinath". Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ↑ "Andy Pycroft". Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ↑ "Richie Richardson". Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ↑ See 4th from bottom paragraph
- ↑ Crowe admits error
- ↑ "Most matches as a referee: Test". Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ↑ "Most matches as a referee: ODI". Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ↑ "Records | Twenty20 Internationals | Individual records (captains, players, umpires) | Most matches as a match referee | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2022-11-08.