Photo Credit: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA) has implemented a significant change for umpires by introducing a ranking-based system for match officials as part of a newly expanded 18-member Umpires Panel. This system, outlined in a recently signed three-year Memorandum of Understanding between CA and the Umpire Leadership Group, will reward the top-ranked umpires with more match appointments based on their performance.
Umpires will be assessed on their past performances and potential, with additional bonuses for officiating in finals of domestic competitions, the KFC BBL, and Weber WBBL. The new system aims to ensure that higher-ranked umpires officiate in more matches, replacing the previous workload management approach used across domestic competitions.
Shawn Craig, a member of the CA International Panel and the Umpire Leadership Group, highlighted that the new system provides flexibility in appointments, stating: “It allows flexibility in changing appointments, and modifying appointments so that the most appropriate umpires get the most appropriate games. Let’s say umpiring appointments have been made for the final home-and-away rounds of the Sheffield Shield competition, but then it turns out you have your best-ranked umpires down to officiate in a game that’s effectively a dead rubber.”
“Meanwhile, a corresponding top-of-the-table match might have umpires already appointed who perhaps might not be the highest ranked. This changes all that and allows the best umpires to be umpiring more and servicing cricket accordingly. We have moved to a ranking model that is based on performance which will reward performance. It doesn’t alter the way we’re assessed for performance, it just provides everyone with more flexibility and the ability for people to be more nimble.”
The Contracted Umpire Panel will replace the former 12-person National Umpire Panel and the six-member Supplementary Umpire Panel. The new panel includes female umpires Claire Polosak and Eloise Sheridan, who have previously officiated at Sheffield Shield level.
Damien Mealey, Chairman of the Cricket Australia Umpire Selection Panel, praised the new system for recognizing and developing umpiring talent in Australian cricket. “The quality of the panel is an endorsement of the outstanding umpiring talent within Australian cricket. The selection panel is encouraged by the emergence of new umpires developing across all States and Territories, which has resulted in several first-class debuts placing match officiating in a very strong position moving forward.
“I would especially like to congratulate Daryl Brigham and Roberto Howard on their elevation to the Umpire Panel, which has been well earned after strong performances over several seasons.”
The 2024-25 Cricket Australia Contracted Umpires Panel includes: Gerard Abood, Daryl Brigham, Shawn Craig, Drew Crozier, Greg Davidson, Stephen Dionysius, Phil Gillespie, Mike Graham-Smith, Roberto Howard, Donovan Koch, Simon Lightbody, Sam Nogajski, Sharad Patel, Troy Penman, Claire Polosak, Eloise Sheridan, David Taylor, and Ben Treloar.
The 2023-24 Cricket Australia International Panel Umpires, nominated to the ICC for Men’s International matches, are: Shawn Craig, Phil Gillespie, Donovan Koch, and Sam Nogajski.
