JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, CMC:
WEST INDIES umpire Steve Bucknor, widely regarded as one of the world's best, was retained yesterday in a reduced panel of 12 umpires for the Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2003 Super Sixes tournament starting tomorrow.
The original group of 22 umpires has been reduced to a panel of 12, following detailed assessment of each official's performance in the group stage of the tournament, and Bucknor remains in with a chance of setting a new umpires world record for appearances in a World Cup final match.
Former West Indies captain and team manager Clive Lloyd is also retained on the match referees' panel.
The 56-year-old Bucknor, from Jamaica, has stood in the championship final for the past three World Cup tournaments, and can break the record for final appearances by England's Dickie Bird.
He officiated in 1992 final when Pakistan beat England in Melbourne, the 1996 final in Lahore when Sri Lanka upset Australia, and three years later when Australia beat Pakistan in the 1999 final at Lord's in England.
Bucknor, who has officiated in 107 one-day internationals and a record 77 Test matches, will, if he goes all the way to the final, become the only umpire to stand in four World Cup finals.
Bird stood in the first three World Cup finals in 1975, 1979 and 1983.
David Richardson, the International Cricket Council's (ICC) General Manager-Cricket said that the appointments reflect the high standard of performance shown by the panel during the 40 matches played in the group stage.
"All match officials have been assessed by the ICC during the group matches, and it is fair to say that the 12 nominated to stand in the Super Sixes are the umpires we regard to be in the best form.
"Their standard of decision making has been consistently high and has earned them the right to officiate in the later stages of the tournament," Richardson said.
ICC elite umpires Dave Orchard of South Africa, and Zimbabwe's Russell Tiffen, are among those not retained from the first-round panel.
Bucknor will stand in the Australia/New Zealand and Australia/Kenya games and is standby for the opening Super Six match Friday between Australia and Sri Lanka.
The Super Six panel will be Bucknor, England's David Shepherd and Peter Willey, Australians Daryl Harper, Simon Taufel and Darrell Hair, Rudi Koertzen and Brian Jerling of South Africa, New Zealand's Billy Bowden, Aleem Dar of Pakistan, Asoka de Silva of Sri Lanka, and India's Srinivas Venkataraghavan.
All five ICC match referees have been retained for Super Sixes - Lloyd, Ranjan Madugalle, Mike Procter, Wasim Raja, and Gundappa Viswanath.
Lloyd will be match referee for the India/Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe/Sri Lanka matches.
