ICC drops Bowden, Rauf from umpires' panel

Pakistan’s Asad Rauf, who is being investigated in the IPL spot-fixing scandal,  and long-serving New Zealander Billy Bowden were on Tuesday dropped from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires after their performances were found not up to the mark in the past 12 months.

Rauf, who is being probed for allegedly taking expensive gifts from suspected bookies, and Bowden have been replaced by former Test cricketers Richard Illingworth and Paul Reiffel.

“The selection panel considered the overall performances of the umpires over the past 12 months when deciding which umpires would be offered contracts for 2013-14. In Asad’s case, it is important to emphasise that the recent speculation linking his name to the IPL spot-fixing investigation was not considered during the selectors’ deliberations,” said Geoff Allardice, Chairman of the ICC Umpires Selection Panel.

Rauf was earlier withdrawn from officiating in the just-concluded ICC Champions Trophy.  No Indian umpire was named to the panel for another year. The umpires’ selection panel comprises  Allardice,  ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle, ex-England player  David Lloyd  and former India captain and international umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan.