England's Sue Redfern is poised to make history as the first ICC-appointed female neutral umpire to officiate in a bilateral series during the upcoming WT20I between Australia and South Africa.
This groundbreaking appointment aligns with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to designate one neutral umpire for all ICC Women's Championship series and T20I matches associated with them. The move aims to introduce an element of neutrality in match officiation and concurrently supports the long-term development of female umpires.
As part of this initiative, seven female neutral umpires will officiate across ICC Women's Championship series, receiving match-day pay equivalent to those on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires.
Wasim Khan, ICC's General Manager of Cricket, views this development as a monumental stride in creating more opportunities for women umpires.
"This is a watershed moment for women's cricket as we look to both implement a female match officials' pathway programme and accelerate officiating opportunities for our very best performers. Neutral appointments will give female umpires more exposure to different conditions and will support the learning and development of local female umpires who officiate alongside them," he said in an ICC release.
“Last year we had the first all-female match officials' panel at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa and so it is important that we build on that momentum through a combination of development and high-quality opportunities.”
Redfern said her appointment will help build momentum and boost the growth of female match officials.
"This is a defining moment for both women's cricket and female cricket officials, who have worked hard and been given development opportunities in recent years," Redfern said.
"Personally, I would like to thank the ICC and the ECB for their support over the years and I look forward to more such appointments.”
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The ICC said it will prioritise female officials for the neutral umpires' role in ICC Women's Championship series. The ICC-appointed female umpires will get match-day pay parity with their male counterparts on the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and receive comparable perks.
"The female neutral umpires will be selected on merit and more of them will find themselves in the ICC International Panel of Umpires in the coming years, as part of ICC's strategic ambition to advance the involvement and visibility of women both on and off field within the game." the world body said.
Redfern, who played in six Tests and 15 ODIs for England between 1995 and 1999 including four in the 1997 World Cup in India, has been on the ICC Development Panel of Umpires since 2016.
She has officiated in two ICC Women's Cricket World Cups (2017 and 2022) and three ICC Women's T20 World Cups (2018, 2022 and 2024).
Inputs from PTI