Kaif Ansari - Thursday, Sep 11, 2025Image Source: Getty images-X
Match official panel announced for ICC Women World Cup 2025: The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 is set to begin on September 30. The ICC has revealed that for the first time in the tournament's history, only women will be part of the Emirates ICC match officials' panel.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the two recent ICC Women's T20 World Cups featured only female match officials' panels. This will be the first time in the history of the Women's World Cup.
The group of 14 umpires includes the trio of Claire Polosak, Jacqueline Williams and Sue Redfern, who will be officiating in their third Women's World Cup. While Lauren Agenbag and Kim Cotton will be officiating in their second World Cup. They were earlier officiating umpires when Australia won their 7th title in New Zealand in 2022. The four-member match referee panel includes Trudy Anderson, Shandre Fritz, GS Lakshmi and Michelle Perera.
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ICC Chairman Jay Shah said, "This is a defining moment in the journey of women's cricket. We hope it paves the way for many more pioneering stories across all aspects of the game. The formation of an all-female panel of match officials is not only a great achievement but also a powerful reflection of the ICC's unwavering commitment to promoting gender equality in cricket."
Jay Shah said, "This development goes far beyond symbolic value. It is about visibility, opportunity and the creation of meaningful role models who can inspire generations to come. By highlighting excellence in umpiring on a global stage, we aim to ignite aspirations and reinforce that leadership and influence in cricket have no gender-based bias."
The ICC President added, "We are proud to recognise a new chapter in the development of the women's game. We believe the impact of this initiative will go far beyond this tournament, inspiring more women around the world to pursue umpiring careers and helping to redefine possibilities within the sport."
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