Three names have been added to the International Cricket Council's elite panel of umpires.

The elite panel was conceived by the ICC in mid-2001 following a series of umpiring controversies and allegations of match-fixing.

Billy Bowden of New Zealand and Australians Darrell Hair and Simon Taufel are the new entrants to the elite group.

"The ICC has been monitoring the performance of these three umpires on a regular basis, particularly during this World Cup, where each of them performed with distinction," ICC chief executive, Malcolm Speed, said on Friday.

"In its first year of operation, the eight members of the panel have officiated in 37 Test matches and 133 one-day internationals, including the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka and the ICC Cricket World Cup.

"There was always the provision to extend the number of umpires on the panel and having reviewed the first 12 months' workload and associated travelling commitments, we have decided to appoint three new officials."

The others members of the elite panel are: Steve Bucknor (West Indies), Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka), Daryl Harper (Australia), Rudi Koertzen (South Africa), Dave Orchard (South Africa), David Shepherd (England), Russell Tiffin (Zimbabwe), Srinivas Venkataraghavan (India).

All the major cricket powers, except Pakistan, now have at least one member on the panel.