ICC Tuesday dropped Pakistan's Asad Rauf and New Zealander Billy Bowden from its elite panel of umpires on the sidelines of their annual conference here.
They have been replaced by England's Richard Illingworth and Australia's Paul Reiffel in the 12-member panel for the 2013-2014 season starting July 1.
Rauf was withdrawn from officiating in the Champions Trophy in England by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following media reports indicating that he was under investigation by Mumbai police for alleged involvement in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal. The ICC, however, clarified that the situation was not a factor in his exclusion from the panel.
"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," chairman of the ICC's umpire selection panel Geoff Allardice said.
"The panel considered the overall performances of the umpires over the past 12 months when deciding which umpires would be offered contracts for 2013-14. It is exciting to see Richard and Paul promoted to the elite panel but it is also important to acknowledge and appreciate the outstanding contributions of Asad and Billy over a long period of time."
The 57-year-old Pakistani was included in the panel of umpires in 2006 and officiated in 48 Tests, 98 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 23 Twenty 20 Internationals while Bowden was part of the panel since 2003 and officiated in 75 Tests, 181 ODIs and 19 T20Is.
Reiffel, a former Australian pacer, played 35 Tests and 92 ODIs from 1992 to 1998. He has been umpiring in international cricket since January 2009 and has stood in four Tests, 30 ODIs and nine T20Is.
Englishman Illingworth, a former left-arm spinner, has played nine Tests and 25 ODIs, including the 1992 World Cup final against Pakistan. He has umpired in four Tests, 16 ODIs and seven T20Is since July 2010.
Following is the list of ICC's elite panel of umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Steve Davis, Marais Erasmus, Ian Gould, Tony Hill, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Rod Tucker, Richard Illingworth and Paul Reiffel.
