ICC General Manager – Cricket, Geoff Allardice, said: “Ranjan is a consummate professional who has contributed enormously to the game of cricket both as a former captain of Sri Lanka and now as a respected member of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees. He has delivered a consistently high level of performance over a sustained period and is globally respected amongst his peers.”

Madugalle was appointed to the ICC match referees panel in 1994 and became the first person to hold the position of chief match referee in 2001, a post he still occupies.

The 56-year-old has refereed in six ICC Cricket World Cups, including officiating the finals of the 1999, 2003 and 2015 tournaments. He also refereed in six ICC Champions Trophy (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2013) and four ICC World Twenty tournaments (2007, 2010, 2012 and 2014).

As a player, Madugalle represented Sri Lanka in 21 Test matches and 65 ODIs between 1979 and 1989. He was captain from 1987 to 1989 and served two spells as a national selector in his home country.

Most appearances by match referees (as of 15 November 2015, including Bengaluru and Perth Tests):

Match Referee               Tests    ODIs

Ranjan Madugalle          159       300

Chris Broad                    72       268

Jeff Crowe                      74       224

Roshan Mahanama          60       222

Javagal Srinath               33      172

Andy Pycroft                   43      115

David Boon                     28       79