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ICC Announces Historic All-Female Match Officials Panel For 2025 Women's World Cup

Soumyajit Dutta

ICC announces all-female umpiring team [Source: @thecricketgully/X.com]ICC announces all-female umpiring team [Source: @thecricketgully/X.com]

In a landmark decision for gender equality in sports, the International Cricket Council has announced an all-female panel ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, with the first all-female match official panel set to oversee the entire tournament.

This ICC historic umpiring panel 2025 marks the first time a Women’s Cricket World Cup officiating panel will be made up solely of women, representing the culmination of years of ICC efforts to support and empower female match officials in women’s cricket across global tournaments.

Experienced Umpiring Team Selected for Global Stage

The selected panel comprises 14 umpires and four match referees, all bringing significant international experience to the tournament. The team includes seasoned officials like Claire Polosak, Sue Redfern, and Kim Cotton, each making their third Women’s Cricket World Cup appearance. Alongside them are other respected names such as Jacquline Williams and Lauren Agenbag, who also officiated the Women's World Cup 2022 final.

The match referee panel features respected figures Trudy Anderson, Shandré Fritz, GS Lakshmi, and Michelle Pereira, continuing to empower women in cricket officiating and shaping the rise of female referees in cricket at the highest level.

Match Referees:

Trudy Anderson, Shandré Fritz, GS Lakshmi, Michelle Pereira

Umpires:

Lauren Agenbag, Candace la Borde, Kim Cotton, Sarah Dambanevana, Shathira Jakir Jesy, Kerrin Klaaste, Janani N, Nimali Perera, Claire Polosak, Vrinda Rathi, Sue Redfern, Eloise Sheridan, Gayathri Venugopalan, Jacquline Williams

ICC Chairman Hails Defining Moment for Women’s Cricket

ICC Chairman Mr. Jay Shah hailed this move as a defining step towards gender equality in cricket, emphasising that it goes beyond symbolic value and will inspire future generations.

"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 umpiring and refereeing panel is not only a major milestone but also a powerful reflection of the ICC's unwavering commitment to advancing gender equality in cricket," Shah stated.

Notably, the ICC continues to support umpires and referees through its High Performance Officiating Programme, which provides access to coaching, performance tracking, and regular reviews.

This women umpires milestone ICC 2025 stands as testament to the growing professionalism and progress in women’s cricket as the sport continues to break new ground in gender equality worldwide.