New Delhi [India], September 11 : The ICC have announced that the upcoming ICC Women's Cricket World Cup will feature an all-female group of umpires and match officials for the first time in the history of the tournament, as per the ICC website.
While three recent events - the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the two most recent ICC Women's T20 World Cups - have featured all-female match official panels, this is the first time in the history of the Women's World Cup that the feat will be 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, Shandre 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 a 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.
"This development goes beyond symbolic value. It is about visibility, opportunity, and the creation of meaningful role models who can inspire future generations. By highlighting excellence in officiating on the global stage, we aim to spark aspiration and reinforce that leadership and impact in cricket know no gender," he added.
"We are honoured to recognise a new chapter in the growth of the women's game. We believe the influence of this initiative will resonate far beyond this tournament, motivating more women worldwide to pursue officiating careers and helping redefine what's possible within the game," he concluded.
Panel of Match Officials: Match Referees: Trudy Anderson, Shandre Fritz, GS Lakshmi, Michell Pereira
Umpires: Lauren Agenbag, Candace La Borde, Kim Cotton, Sarah Dambanevana, Shathira Jakir Jesy, Kerrin Klaste, Janani N, Nimali Perera, Claire Polosak, Vrinda Rathi, Sue Redfern, Eloise Sheridan, Gayathri Venugopalan, Jacqueline Williams.