The Indian cricket board had announced Monday that Srinath was included as a part-time referee and excluded Broad''s name while listing the officials.

But Tuesday''s ICC statement included Broad''s name, but did not state whether 36-year-old Srinath was appointed as a part-time official or full-time.

"Srinath was selected in the panel after an international interview process involving nominees from several ICC full members (countries)," said the ICC statement.

"In addition, Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, Alan Hurst, Clive Lloyd, Ranjan Madugalle, Roshan Mahanama and Mike Procter, all retained their places on the Emirates Panel following an annual review conducted by ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed and ICC cricket committee chairman Sunil Gavaskar."

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that Srinath was included in the second tier of the panel that included former West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd and Australia''s Alan Hurst, while the top tier had Sri Lanka''s Madugalle, South Africa''s Procter, New Zealand''s Crowe and Sri Lanka''s Mahanama as full-time officials.

The ICC release, however, did not mention the tiers at all.

"The Elite Panel referees have an important role in overseeing international cricket series on behalf of the ICC and we are delighted to welcome Srinath onto the panel," said Speed.

"Srinath''s credentials make him an ideal candidate to join this group. He was a highly respected member of the Indian team for 12 years and played 67 Test matches and 229 ODIs."

Speed pointed out that Srinath retired from international cricket only three years ago and he had remained closely involved in the game since then in various roles, including being a commentator and serving as a member of the ICC bowling review group.

BCCI had nominated five former India players - captain Dilip Vengsarkar, Robin Singh, Kiran More, Shivlal Yadav and Srinath.

Srinath said he was thrilled at the appointment.

"It is a tremendous honour to be asked to join the panel. Match referees are very important to the smooth running of international cricket and I am looking forward to stepping into this crucial role," he said.

"It is now my top priority to learn the fundamentals of being a match referee and I can''t wait until my first appointment."

The referees'' panel has a combined total of 333 Test caps and 709 one-day international matches.