The 10 best umpires in cricket today are part of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Umpiring in international cricket is one of the most challenging jobs in the sports world.
Umpires stand for hours in the middle of the field, often under the blazing sun, and must make split-second decisions. Despite the tough conditions, ICC umpires are recognized as the best in the game.
They officiate in Test matches, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and T20 International tournaments, often staying away from home for long periods. SportsBoom ranks these top 12 umpires, highlighting their critical role in one of the toughest jobs in sports.
Who Are the Best Umpires in Cricket?
As of 2024, 12 umpires are on the ICC’s Elite Panel. Nine of these umpires represent Full Member nations, but countries like Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Ireland do not have any representation on the panel.
Among the well-known names on this list are Rod Tucker, Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Kettleborough, Richard Illingworth, Paul Reiffel, and Chris Gaffaney. The rest include Michael Gough, Joel Wilson, Nitin Menon, Ahsan Raza, Adrian Holdstock, and Sharfuddoula Saikat.
England leads with the most umpires on the panel, represented by Kettleborough, Illingworth, and Gough, while Australia has two—Tucker and Reiffel. The other Full Member nations, including New Zealand, India, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, West Indies, and Sri Lanka, each have one umpire on the list.
Not all of these umpires work in T20 franchise tournaments. However, Tucker, Gaffaney, Gough, and Menon are currently officiating in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
The David Shepherd Trophy, named after the legendary English umpire, is awarded each year by the ICC to the best umpire. The award was first given in 2004 to Simon Taufel from Australia, who is considered one of the greatest umpires ever. Taufel won this award five times consecutively from 2004 to 2008.
Other notable winners include Pakistan’s Aleem Dar, who claimed the title from 2009 to 2011, and England’s Richard Kettleborough, who won three times in a row from 2013 to 2015. Richard Illingworth from England has also won the award three times (2019, 2022, and 2023), and South Africa’s Marais Erasmus has secured it three times as well (2016, 2017, and 2021).
Kumar Dharmasena, the Sri Lankan umpire, won the award twice in 2012 and 2018. Based on the number of trophies, Simon Taufel holds the record as the best umpire in the modern era.
The ICC established the Elite Panel in 2002 to improve the standard of international cricket umpiring. One of the major changes was that both umpires in a Test match, and at least one umpire in ODIs, would now be neutral (from a different country than the teams playing). Before this, only one Test umpire was neutral, and both ODI umpires were from the home country.
Umpires on the Elite Panel typically officiate in around 10 Test matches and 15 ODIs each year. They also frequently officiate in major T20 leagues like the IPL and South Africa’s SA20. These umpires ensure the game is played fairly and in line with the spirit of cricket.
The Elite Panel list is reviewed annually by the ICC Umpires Selection Panel.
India’s Best Umpires on the International Panel
The International Panel of ICC Umpires, formed in 1994, includes umpires from Full Member countries, and they primarily officiate ODIs and T20Is. The panel has 44 umpires from all 12 Test-playing nations, with no country having more than four or fewer than three representatives.
India has four umpires on this panel: Jayaraman Madanagopal, Rohan Pandit, Virender Sharma, and K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan.
