Michael Gough, Joel Wilson newest additions to ICC elite panel of umpires

International Cricket Council on Tuesday named Michael Gough of England and Joel Wilson of the West Indies in the Elite Panel of Umpires for the season 2019-20, following the annual review and selection process.

Gough and Wilson have been elevated from the ICC International Panel of umpires by the selection panel consisting of ICC General Manager - Cricket, Geoff Allardice (Chairman), former player and 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 and Ravi Sundaram who were part of the previous panel.

"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 assessment throughout the year," Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager - Umpires and Referees said.

"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," Griffith added.

The other members of the 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 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.