DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named Barbados-born John Holder in a list of Regional Umpires' Performance Managers (RUPMs) to help boost the quality of cricket umpiring worldwide.

In a move the ICC says will "increase the level of support to the world's top match officials", the world's governing body for the sport has appointed five RUPMs to coach, mentor and assist the umpires as they strive for on-field excellence.

"This is more good news for the game as it will provide expert support to umpires around the world," said David Richardson, ICC General Manager - Cricket.

The five officials will be assigned to specific regions throughout the world and the England-born Holder, a highly respected umpire in English County cricket, will oversee the Americas, including West Indies, and Europe.

He is a former seam bowler for Hampshire in English County cricket and has stood – as an umpire – in 11 Test matches and 19 One Day International (ODI) matches.

The other RUPMs are India's Arani Jayaprakash for Asia, including Bangladesh and India, Sri Lankan Peter Manuel for Asia, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe's Ian Robinson (Africa) and Australian Bob Stratford (Pacific).

"This move is part of the ICC's commitment to ensuring that the standard of international cricket umpiring remains high and continues to improve as we seek to get the most out of our best officials," Richardson said.

Earlier this year, as part of a focus on the role of match officials, the ICC expanded the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires from 10 to 12 with the addition of Australia's Steve Davis and Sri Lanka's Asoka de Silva to the list. (CMC)