Women's ODI World Cup reaches milestone with all-female officials panel
What's the story
In a major step toward gender equality in sports, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced an all-female panel of umpires and match officials for the impending ICC Women's Cricket World Cup. Notably, this will be the first ODI World Cup to have an all-female panel. The decision comes as part of ICC's ongoing efforts to promote and empower women in cricket.
Details
Match referee and umpire panel
The match referee panel for the upcoming Women's World Cup features four members: Trudy Anderson, Shandre Fritz, GS Lakshmi, and 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, and Jacqueline Williams.
Information
Any other tournament with all-women panel?
As mentioned, the impending Women's ODI World Cup will be its first edition with an all-female panel. Earlier, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, as well as the previous two ICC Women's T20 World Cups had all-female match official panels.
Chairman's remarks
Jay Shah's statement on historic announcement
ICC Chairman Jay Shah has called this all-female panel a historic moment for women's cricket. He said, "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." He also emphasized that this development is not just symbolic but about "visibility, opportunity, and creating role models who can inspire future generations."
Schedule
Tournament to begin on September 30
The highly anticipated Women's ODI World Cup will kick off on September 30, with India facing Sri Lanka at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. The match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 5. This is a neutral venue due to the hybrid agreement between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Australia will enter as the defending champions.