The ICC appoints international umpires and referees who officiate at all sanctioned Test matches and One-day Internationals. The umpires are sponsored by Emirates Airline, whose sponsorship contribution pays for the umpires' fees and costs. The ICC operates 3 panels of umpires: namely the Elite Panel, the International Panel, and the Associates and Affiliates Panel.

Mat	Umpire	country	First appearance	Last appearance
46	David Shepherd	England	1983	2002/03
34	Steve Bucknor	West Indies	1991/92	2002/03
23	S Venkataraghavan	India	1995/96	2002/03
18	HD Bird	England	1975	1987/88
18	Khizer Hayat	Pakistan	1987/88	1995/96
18	Ian Robinson	Zimbabwe	1991/92	1999
15	Rudi Koertzen	South Africa	1999	2002/03
14	SG Randell	Australia	1991/92	1995/96
13	Darrell Hair	Australia	1999	2002/03
13	Peter Willey	England	1999	2002/03
12	DJ Constant	England	1975	1983
12	Dave Orchard	South Africa	1999	2002/03
11	SJ Woodward	New Zealand	1987/88	1991/92
11	Steve Dunne	New Zealand	1995/96	1999
11	KT Francis	Sri Lanka	1995/96	1999
10	Mahboob Shah	Pakistan	1987/88	1995/96

The International Panel is made up of officials nominated from each of the ten Test-playing cricket boards. The Panel Members officiate in ODI matches in their home country, and assist the Elite Panel at peak times in the cricket calendar when they can be appointed to overseas ODI and Test matches. International Panel members also undertake overseas umpiring assignments such as the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup (and will be heavily involved in the umpiring of the 2007 Cricket World Cup) in order to improve their knowledge and understanding of overseas conditions, and help them prepare for possible promotion onto the Elite Panel.

There is also a Panel of Elite Referees who act as the independent representative of the ICC at all Test and ODI matches. As of January 2005, it has 7 members, all highly experienced former international cricketers. The Referees do not have the power to report players or officials (which has to be done by the umpires), but they are responsible for conducting hearings under the ICC Code of Conduct and imposing penalties as required at matches, ranging from an official reprimand to a lifetime ban from cricket. Decisions can be appealed, but the original decision is upheld in most cases.