Courtesy: ICC
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has removed Trinidad and Tobago’s Joel Wilson and England’s Michael Gough from their elite panel of umpires for the 2025-26 season as part of their routine process of performance-assessment. In place of the two aforementioned umpires, the ICC has added the likes of England’s Alex Wharf and South Africa’s Allahuddien Palekar in the 12-member elite panel of umpires list.
It is important to note that the ICC elite panel of umpires includes a group of the best cricket umpires selected by the governing body of world cricket to officiate in the biggest of matches at the international level, which includes Tests, ODIs, and T20Is apart from their own tournaments. As per the rankings, England’s Richard Illingworth is currently ranked number one in the ICC elite panel of umpires, closely followed by Nitin Menon of India.
This is a significant moment in my umpiring career: Allahuddien Palekar
The inclusion of former England cricketer Alex Wharf in the elite panel of umpires has happened after he has officiated seven Tests, 33 ODIs, and 45 T20Is in men’s cricket. After receiving the big news, he was quoted as saying, as per the ICC, “This milestone would not have been possible without the amazing colleagues who have shared their expertise with me, and those who have supported me both on and off the field. I look forward to continuing to learn from and work alongside them as I embark on this exciting new chapter in my career.”
Meanwhile, Allahuddien Palekar, the former South African First-class cricketer has been an umpire in four Tests, 23 ODIs, and 67 T20Is in men’s cricket apart from officiating 17 women’s international matches. He was quite upbeat about his promotion in the ICC elite panel of umpires, and remarked, “This is a significant moment in my umpiring career. It's an honour to be named in the elite panel, and I look forward to reposing the faith shown in me. Being on this panel brings both pride and responsibility, but I am confident that my experience officiating across formats will stand me in good stead.”
Below are names of 12 ICC Elite Panel of Umpires for the 2025-26 season of international cricket:
Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka)
Christopher Gaffaney (New Zealand)
Adrian Holdstock (South Africa)
Richard Illingworth (England)
Richard Kettleborough (England)
Nitin Menon (India)
Allahuddien Paleker (South Africa)
Ahsan Raza (Pakistan)
Paul Reiffel (Australia)
Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (Bangladesh)
Rodney Tucker (Australia)
Alex Wharf (England)
