The dreaded crooked finger may have been raised for the final time in international cricket.

Brent 'Billy' Bowden, New Zealand's best-known and most highly-rated umpire, has been axed from New Zealand Cricket's international panel after standing in 84 tests and 200 one-day internationals. The last of those was the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODI in Wellington in February, which stretched the Aucklander's career to 21 years at the top, having stood in his first international in 1995 against Sri Lanka in Hamilton.

The 53-year-old wasn't the only casualty of the NZC cleanout, which is understood to have been prompted by the International Cricket Council expressing concern over the standard of New Zealand umpiring at the top level. The notable exception was Chris Gaffaney who kept his place on the ICC's elite panel.

STUFF The crooked finger, which Billy Bowden says was caused by arthritis, became the umpire's trademark signal.

Bowden, Derek Walker and Phil Jones were all cut from NZC's international panel and replaced by two former first-class players Chris Brown (Auckland) and Shaun Haig (Otago), along with Auckland's Wayne Knights. Another former international umpire, Barry Frost, confirmed his retirement after 16 years and 100 first-class matches.

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Bowden, whose showy style and eccentric signals polarised cricket people, wants to continue umpiring first-class matches this summer as part of the national panel but will find it tough to return to the international arena. He's been in and out of favour with the ICC and after being cut from its elite panel in 2013 he returned a year later. He dropped off that panel again last year, after umpiring his 84th test between England and West Indies in Barbados in May 2015.

JASON O'BRIEN/REUTERS Umpire Billy Bowden with England bowler James Anderson during his most recent test series in the West Indies in May 2015.

NZC received guidance from the ICC on its international panel, from which umpires for home ODIs and Twenty20 internationals will be chosen this summer. The changes were announced on Thursday by NZC's new match officials manager Sheldon Eden-Whaitiri, a former first-class rugby referee who took over from the now-retired Rodger McHarg.

Clearly there is a move to younger umpires with first-class playing experience, following in the footsteps of former Otago batsman Gaffaney who's risen to become one of the world's top officials.

Haig, 34, has made a quick rise up the ranks after playing the last of his 34 first-class matches in 2011. Brown, 43, was born in the Cook Islands and played 19 first-class matches, the last in 1997.

Knights, 45, has served five seasons on NZC's national panel.

"It's a massive opportunity for the guys and they deserve it based on their umpiring performances over recent seasons," Eden-Whaitiri said.

"We're delighted to see more former players coming through the umpiring system and hope it continues to be seen as an attractive pathway."

AT A GLANCE

New Zealand Cricket's international umpires panel: Chris Brown (Auckland), Wayne Knights (Auckland), Shaun Haig (Otago).

NZC's national umpires panel: Brent Bowden (Auckland), Brown, Tony Gillies (Auckland), Haig, Phil Jones (Auckland), Knights, Ash Mehrotra (Northern Districts), Tim Parlane (Canterbury), Derek Walker (Otago).

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