ICC Elite Panel Umpires and their salaries for 2018-19 season

Umpiring, even though it might seem easy, is one of the toughest tasks in cricket. It demands extreme levels of concentration and mental toughness from an individual. Moreover, umpires have got to be fit as they will have to stand in the middle for long hours, make brisk movements time and again, and bear with the weather conditions. With the introduction of DRS, their job has become that much more difficult as no mistake is spared nowadays.

However, there are quite a few individuals who have managed to meet all these demands and have excelled at their job. For their consistent performances, they are rewarded by the ICC and are inducted into the Elite Panel of Umpires. But for all the fabulous job that they do, are the umpires really paid enough? Let’s find out:

Here are the salaries of the ICC Elite Panel Umpires for 2018-19:

10. Nigel Llong

Nigel James Llong is another one of those umpires who has been around for a while now. Born in 1969, he represented Kent during his playing days. He was a left-handed batsman and also bowled useful right-arm off-break.

In 68 first-class games and 136 List-A matches, Llong has scored 3,024 and 2,302 runs respectively. Moreover, he was quite economical with the ball as well. Two years after he officiated in his first first-class game in 2000, Nigel Llong was appointed to ECB’s panel of first-class umpires.

In 2004, he was inducted into the ICC international umpire panel as a specialist third umpire. Llong officiated the games in the World Cup 2015 and World Cup 2019. He has been in the Elite Panel since 2012.

Test Matches: 3 | Test Salary: $9,000
ODI Matches: 3 | ODI Salary: $6,600
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $60,600

9. Bruce Oxenford

Bruce Oxenford has been an international umpire since 2008 and is quite an experienced candidate. The former Australian cricketer ascended up the ranks quite quickly and maintains good relationships with the players. He stood in his first Test match back in 2010.

Two years later, he was also inducted into the ICC Elite Panel where he replaced his fellow Australian umpire Simon Taufel. Regarded to be one of the best umpires, Taufel retired from the panel back then to take up a newly created ICC supervisory and training position. Oxenford began umpiring way back in 1998 and is well versed with the rules of the game.

He stood in over 50 Test matches and nearly a 100 ODI games. He was a part of the umpiring team for the World Cup 2015 and World Cup 2019. Oxenford represented Queensland in 8 first-class games and picked up 18 wickets.

Test Matches: 5 | Test Salary: $15,000
ODI Matches: 2 | ODI Salary: $4,400
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $64,400

8. Rod Tucker

Rod Tucker is another former Australian domestic cricketer with plenty of experience. The all-rounder represented different teams through his long career in over 100 first-class games. He also briefly played as the captain and coach of the Canberra Comets side before he announced his retirement as a player.

After retirement, Rod Tucker decided to take up the role as an umpire. The 55-year-old was appointed to ICC’s Panel of Umpires in 2008. It didn’t take him too long to progress up the ladder given his great skill.

In 2010, he was inducted into the ICC Elite Panel and has grown into one of the most successful umpires since then. Tucker officiated in over 175 international games. This includes 65 Test matches which is the second-highest amongst current the ICC Elite Panel umpires.

Test Matches: 4 | Test Salary: $12,000
ODI Matches: 4 | ODI Salary: $8,800
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $65,800

7. Paul Reiffel

Paul Reiffel is the third Australian umpire on this list. He is one of those few umpires who represented their team at the highest level. Paul found a decent bit of success in the ‘90s and played for the team for about seven years.

In the 35 Test matches where he represented Australia, Paul Reiffel picked up 104 wickets. He also played in 92 ODIs for the team and picked up 106 wickets. His most notable achievement during his playing days was that he was a part of the 1999 World Cup-winning squad.

Reiffel first umpired in Melbourne grade cricket in 2002 and made his first-class debut in the 2004-05 season. He made his on-field international debut in 2009 and has been quite successful. He was added to the ICC Elite Panel in 2013.

Test Matches: 4 | Test Salary: $12,000
ODI Matches: 4 | ODI Salary: $8,800
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $65,800

6. Richard Illingworth

Richard Illingworth represented England at the highest level as a player. The former fast bowler played 9 Tests and 25 ODI games for the Brits. Illingworth picked up 19 wickets in the longest format of the game and 30 wickets in the 50-over format.

Moreover, he was also a part of the 1992 World Cup and the 1996 World Cup squads. The Yorkshire cricketer never represented the team after the 1996 World Cup and took up umpiring later on. He was appointed to ECB’s full list of first-class umpires in 2006.

In 2009, along with Richard Kettleborough, he was promoted to the ICC International umpires panel. Illingworth, however, took a little longer than Kettleborough to make it into the Elite Panel. He eventually made it there in 2013 and has officiated 7 Test matches in the defined period in this post.

Test Matches: 7 | Test Salary: $21,000
ODI Matches: 0 | ODI Salary: $0
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $66,000

5. Chris Gaffaney

Chris Gaffaney is the only New Zealand umpire in the ICC Elite Panel. He is also one of the youngest Elite Panel umpires at the moment. Born in Dunedin, Gaffaney played for Otago in first-class cricket. While he might not have played for the national team, he has good numbers with the bat.

Chris has found a good amount of success as an umpire in a short period of time. He played his last List-A game in 2007. After three years, he managed to make his international debut for an ODI game between Canada and Ireland at Toronto.

He stood in his first Test match in 2014 and he was rewarded for his consistent performances. He was included in the Elite Panel in 2015 and has officiated in over 100 international games already. Gaffaney earned $66,600 for the year 2018-19.

Test Matches: 5 | Test Salary: $15,000
ODI Matches: 3 | ODI Salary: $6,600
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $66,600

4. Marais Erasmus

55-year-old Marais Erasmus is one of the most popular faces amongst the umpires. The former South African cricketer has got a great deal of experience in domestic cricket. While he was a pacer during his playing days, he was a handy batsman down the order as well.

Erasmus picked up 131 wickets in 53 first-class games and scored 1,913 runs. In List A cricket, he played 54 games where he scored 322 runs and accounted for 48 wickets. Marais Erasmus began his umpiring career in 2002/03 season when he officiated in South Africa’s first-class games.

He stood in his first international match in 2006 and there has been no looking back for him since then. Erasmus has been a part of the ICC Elite Panel since 2010 and has officiated in more than 150 international games. He was the fourth highest-paid umpire for the 2018-19 season.

Test Matches: 4 | Test Salary: $12,000
ODI Matches: 5 | ODI Salary: $11,000
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $68,000

3. Richard Kettleborough

At just 46 years of age, umpire Richard Kettleborough has made quite a name for himself in the umpiring circuit. Kettleborough was a former England batsman who represented Yorkshire and Middlesex. In his 33 first-class matches, he scored 1258 runs along with another 2,900 runs in List-A cricket.

After his retirement, he pursued a career in the field of umpiring. Richard started with a first-class game back in 2002 and made it to the ECB first-class list of umpires in 2006. Kettleborough started as a TV umpire and then was given the on-field status as well in 2009.

Richard Kettleborough made his Test debut in 2010 and also officiated four games during the 2011 World Cup. In May 2011, he was promoted to be a part of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires. Since then, he has done a great job and is going strong.

Test Matches: 5 | Test Salary: $15,000
ODI Matches: 4 | ODI Salary: $8,800
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $68,800

2. Aleem Dar

Easily, Aleem Dar is the most experienced umpire in the ICC Elite Panel. He is the senior-most in the panel in terms of the number of games officiated. While he might not have been a highly successful cricketer during his playing days, Dar has tasted great amount of success as an umpire.

He has been a member of ICC Elite Panel since 2004. Aleem Dar was nominated in 2005 and 2006 for the David Shepherd Trophy. Even though he couldn’t win it at that point in time, he came back strong. Between 2009 and 2011, he won the same trophy three times in a row.

He made his international debut in 2000. Aleem Dar is on the verge of breaking Steve Bucknor’s record for officiating the highest number of Test matches. Moreover, he is set to do the same in ODI format as well. He is closing in on Rudi Koertzen’s record of the highest number of ODI games as an umpire.

Test Matches: 4 | Test Salary: $12,000
ODI Matches: 8 | ODI Salary: $17,600
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $74,600

1. Kumar Dharmasena

Kumar Dharmasena is the other umpire apart from Aleem Dar who is in the ICC Elite Panel. Nicknamed Unanduwa, Kumar has played a lot of cricket for Sri Lanka at the highest level. He was a bowling all-rounder and tasted good amount of success during his playing days.

Kumar Dharmasena represented Sri Lanka in 31 Test matches where he scored 868 runs and picked up 69 wickets. In 141 ODIs, he mustered 1222 runs and accounted for 138 scalps. After his retirement in 2006, he wished to take up umpiring as he wanted to stay close to the game.

In 2009, he became the youngest Sri Lankan umpire to officiate an international game – a record that he still holds. Kumar Dharmasena also holds the record for officiating the highest number of games in T20 World Cups by a Sri Lankan umpire. For the defined period, Kumar Dharmasena has earned more than any other umpire.

Test Matches: 6 | Test Salary: $18,000
ODI Matches: 6 | ODI Salary: $13,200
T20I Matches: 0 | T20I Salary: $0
Total Salary (includes Base salary – $45,000): $76,200

*Test salary per match – $3,000; ODI salary per match – $2,200; T20I salary per match – $1,000.

Note: The defined period for the calculation of the salaries is 1st September 2018 to 31st April 2019. As base salary, $45,000 has been taken for all these ten senior umpires in the panel. However, it may range from $35,000 to $45,000. All figures indicated in US Dollars.

Disclaimer: Crictracker doesn’t own any of the data provided in this article nor does it guarantee the authenticity of the figures indicated. The numbers have been taken from various different sources.