ICC committee recommends increase in Elite panel of umpires

JOHANNESBURG: In order to lessen the workload on umpires, the International Cricket Council Chief Executives' Committee has recommended that the Elite Panel of officials be increased from 10 to 12.

The Committee, which met here on Monday and Tuesday, made the proposal after going through the report compiled by an umpires' task force chaired by ICC President-elect David Morgan and also including Geoff Allardice of Cricket Australia , ICC Manager, Cricket, David Richardson and ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle.

This followed a meeting by the task force in London on September 6 and 7. The report will go forward for consideration by the ICC Board during its next meeting, set for Dubai on 30 and 31 October.
   
The meeting asked ICC management to refine the programme of playing ahead of further discussion on the subject at the next CEC meeting, set to take place in February 2008 in Kuala Lumpur during the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia.
   
The CEC also reviewed a draft international programme for the period.