KARACHI, March 4: The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday that Pakistan's Wasim Raja won't be offered a new contract on the ICC's elite panel of match referees.

At the same, the game's governing body has decided to expand the panel to eight referees by inducting four new faces. Former New Zealand skipper Jeff Crowe joins the eight-man panel along with ex-Australian Test fast bowler Alan Hurst, Sri Lankan former Test batsman Roshan Mahanama and Chris Board, the left-handed England Test opener who played in the 1980s.

Former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle, who is due to supervise the much-awaited Pakistan v India series, retains his chief referee post. The other international referees retained by the ICC from the previous five-man panel are Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies skipper; Gundappa Viswanath, the ex-Indian skipper and former South African Test all-rounder Mike Procter.

The new appointments will take effect from April 1, 2004 in keeping with all contracts for elite panel of umpires and referees. Wasim, older brother of Ramiz Raja, the chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, had joined the panel of referees on a two-year contract on April 1, 2002.

ICC expanded of match referees: