ICC names World Cup umpires

CRICKET: DUBAI, March 3 - The International Cricket Council on Friday named the 16 umpires who will officiate at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. The list is made up of nine officials from the elite panel and seven members of the international panel.

Of the eight members of the elite panel of ICC match referees, seven have been selected to officiate with the only man missing Clive Lloyd, who is occupying a role as team manager for hosts the West Indies.

The umpiring team is full of vastly experienced officials including five men - Rudi Koertzen, Steve Bucknor, Daryl Harper, Simon Taufel and Brent Bowden - who have stood in more than 100 ODIs each.. The three group matches Koertzen is due to stand in will take him to 166 matches, just six short of David Shepherd's mark for most ODIs umpired.

With Shepherd retiring in 2005, one thing that is certain is that at least one umpire will stand in his first World Cup final as Shepherd and Bucknor have stood together in the past three finals, 1996, 1999 and 2003.

Umpires: Mark Benson, Brent Bowden, Steve Bucknor, Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Billy Doctrove, Ian Gould, Daryl Harper, Tony Hill, Ian Howell, Brian Jerling, Rudi Koertzen, Peter Parker, Asad Rauf, Asoka de Silva, Simon Taufel.

Referees: Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, Alan Hurst, Ranjan Madugalle, Roshan Mahanama, Javagal Srinath, Mike Procter.

- AFP