Indian umpire Sundaram Ravi has been left out of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires as International Cricket Council Tuesday named Michael Gough of England and Joel Wilson of the West Indies for the 2019-’20 season following the annual review and selection process, PTI reported.
Gough and Wilson have been elevated from the Emirates ICC International Panel of Umpires by the selection panel consisting of ICC General Manager – Cricket, Geoff Allardice, former player and now commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, and match referees Ranjan Madugalle and David Boon.
Both these umpires have gained significant experience at the international level with Gough having officiated in nine Tests, 59 ODIs and 14 T20Is and Wilson having stood in 13 Tests, 63 ODIs and 26 T20Is. They replace retired umpire Ian Gould apart from S Ravi, who were part of the previous panel.
There has been no official reason given for Ravi’s omission even though his performances have come under the scanner in the recent past. The most prominent occasion was Virat Kohli questioning the quality of umpiring after a Lasith Malinga no ball was not spotted in an IPL match.
Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager Umpires and Referees, said: “Being an elite official is an extremely challenging job. Every decision is scrutinized by millions of fans and each match official is subject to a rigorous ongoing performance assessments throughout the year.
“We are fortunate to have some fantastic officials who are able to withstand the pressures of the job and deliver consistently on the international stage. Michael and Joel are deserving additions to the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and I wish them all the best for the coming season and for the future.”
The other members of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires are Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker.
The Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees remains unchanged with David Boon, Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Andy Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath the seven officials on that list.