Melbourne, Aug 10 (IANS): Cricket Australia (CA) has overhauled its approach to umpiring by introducing a high-performance model that mirrors the system that has long driven success for its national teams. Under this new framework, the 18-member Cricket Australia contracted umpires panel, announced on Saturday, will be ranked and remunerated based on merit, with the best-performing officials earning more opportunities to officiate in crucial matches.

This newly expanded panel is a result of a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) finalised between CA and the Umpire Leadership Group. The move represents a strategic departure from the previous system, where workloads were evenly distributed among umpires, regardless of their performance or the importance of the matches.

Shawn Craig, one of four umpires named to the CA International Panel and a key member of the Umpire Leadership Group, hailed the new model as a much-needed evolution in the way umpiring appointments are managed. Craig explained that the previous system often locked in umpiring appointments weeks in advance, with changes only made in cases of illness or sudden unavailability. This rigid approach sometimes resulted in lower-ranked umpires overseeing high-stakes matches, while top-performing officials were assigned to less critical games.

"It allows flexibility in changing appointments and modifying appointments so that the most appropriate umpires get the most appropriate games," Craig told cricket.com.au. He highlighted how the new model enables a more strategic approach, ensuring that the best-ranked umpires are consistently placed in the most significant matches, particularly as the domestic season reaches its climax.

"Let's say umpiring appointments have been made for the final home-and-away rounds of the Sheffield Shield competition, but then it turns out you have your best-ranked umpires down to officiate in a game that's effectively a dead rubber," Craig said. "Meanwhile, a corresponding top-of-the-table match might have umpires already appointed who perhaps might not be the highest ranked. This changes all that and allows the best umpires to be umpiring more and servicing cricket accordingly. We have moved to a ranking model that is based on performance, which will reward performance."

The shift to a merit-based ranking system aligns umpiring more closely with how Australia's contracted players are managed, where rankings and retainers reflect individual performances and potential. In addition to this, umpires who are selected to officiate in finals of domestic competitions like the BBL and WBBL will now earn bonuses, further incentivizing excellence.

This revamped system also marks the end of the previous 12-member National Umpire Panel and the six-member Supplementary Umpire Panel. Under the new structure, all 18 umpires are recognised and remunerated equally, eliminating the previous tiered system that saw supplementary panel members receive lower pay and fewer opportunities.

"The quality of the panel is an endorsement of the outstanding umpiring talent within Australian cricket," said Damien Mealey, chair of the Cricket Australia Umpire Selection Panel. He expressed confidence in the strong position of match officiating moving forward, especially with the emergence of new umpires making their first-class debuts.

This year has already seen significant changes within Australia’s umpiring ranks. The retirements of veteran umpires Bruce Oxenford and Paul Wilson have opened doors for new talent, with Daryl Brigham and Roberto Howard earning their first national contracts for the 2024-25 season. The panel also includes female officials Claire Polosak and Eloise Sheridan, who made history last summer as the first women to umpire at the Sheffield Shield level.

For aspiring umpires, the expansion of the national panel from 12 to 18 members is a crucial development. Craig noted that the journey to national recognition is a long and often under-rewarded one, with most umpires spending around 15 years climbing the ranks through state competitions before reaching the national panel.

"It's a long, long journey to get the rewards that come when you make the national panel," Craig acknowledged. "There's no state-based contracts that offer financial reward until you get to the national system, so there's a lot of sacrifice and time away from home and family before then."

The inclusion of the six umpires who were previously part of the Supplementary Panel on equal footing with their colleagues is a significant step forward. "They are no longer part of a Supplementary Panel who are on lower retainers and a lower base with the chance of getting a few games. We're now ranked from 1-18 like the Australian and State players, and that's better for the game, which is the number one priority."