Sri Lankan Ranjan Madugalle was appointed as the match referee for India's away series against Pakistan early next year.

The umpires for the series come from the Emirates Elite Panel and all have previous Test experience in Pakistan. Rudi Koertzen will stand in the first two Tests, in Karachi (starting January 5) and Lahore (January 14), and he will be joined by Daryl Harper for the first match and Darrell Hair for the second.

Hair will also stand in the final match of the series, in Rawalpindi (22 January), where Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel will join him, an International Cricket Council release said in Dubai.

Chris Broad will take over from Madugalle as match referee for the five-match ODI series between the two countries that follows the Tests, with Taufel standing in all five matches (January 29 - February 11), joined by locally-appointed umpires from the Emirates International Panel.

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The ICC also announced the Emirates Elite Panel and Emirates International Panel appointments for the Australia-South Africa Test series, the ODI series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka and the tri-series involving Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Chris Broad will be the referee for the three-match Australia-South Africa Test series with the matches scheduled to take place in Perth (starting December 16), Melbourne (December 26) and Sydney (January 2).

Steve Bucknor will stand in the first two matches and he will be joined by two members of the Emirates International Panel with Billy Doctrove standing alongside him in Perth while Asad Rauf will officiate in Melbourne. It will be the first Test action in Australia for both men.

The final Test of the series, in Sydney, will be umpired by Aleem Dar and Billy Bowden, both members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.

The match referee for the four-match ODI series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka (December 31 - January 8) will be Alan Hurst.

Darrell Hair will stand as umpire in all four matches and he will be accompanied by locally-appointed umpires from the Emirates International Panel.

Jeff Crowe will be the referee for the ODI tri-series involving Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa in Australia (January 13 - February 14). Aleem Dar from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Mark Benson from the Emirates International Panel will join him.

That duo will stand in alternate matches alongside locally-appointed umpires from the Emirates International Panel.

- UNI