NEW DELHI: In a landmark decision, the ICC has furthered its efforts to empower women in cricket by appointing an all-female group of match officials for the Women's World Cup, starting September 30 in India and Sri Lanka.
The tournament will have an all-female group of umpires and match officials for the first time in the history of the tournament.
Previously, an all-female panel had officiated at three major events - the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the two most recent ICC Women’s T20 World Cups. However, this will be the first time in the history of the Women’s World Cup that such a milestone is achieved.
The group of 14 umpires includes the trio of Claire Polosak, Jacqueline Williams and Sue Redfern that will be appearing at their third Women's World Cup, while Lauren Agenbag and Kim Cotton will be at their second World Cup after they were the officiating umpires when Australia won their unprecedented seventh title in New Zealand in 2022.
The match referee panel of four includes Trudy Anderson, Shandré Fritz, GS Lakshmi, and Michell Pereira, who will all bring varying levels of experience in the role to the 13th edition of the Women's World Cup that will be held in India and Sri Lanka from September 30.
ICC chairman Jay Shah believes the all-female panel is an historic moment for women's cricket and thinks it will help lead to many more success stories around the world in the future.
"This marks a defining moment in the journey of women's cricket, one that we hope will pave the way for many more trailblazing stories across all facets of the sport. The inclusion of an all-women panel of match officials is not only a major milestone but also a powerful reflection of the ICC's unwavering commitment to advancing gender equity across cricket," he said.
