Sue Redfern becomes first ICC female neutral umpire by the International Cricket Council to work in a bilateral series and will be part of the elite panel for the upcoming ICC Women’s Championship and T20I matches between Australia and South Africa.
Sue Redfern becomes first ICC female neutral umpire
Around seven female neutral umpires are set to be the official members of the ICC Women’s Championship series on ICC’s Elite Panel.
Sue will be appointed as the first female umpire to stand in a bilateral series after the T20I fixtures between Australia and South Africa.
Sue played in 6 Tests and 15 ODIs for England during the period 1995-1999. She was part of the squad that won the Women’s ODI World Cup in India in 1997.
While Speaking in the media Sue said, “It’s an honor to be named by the ICC as its first official female-neutral umpire and I’m very excited about the upcoming series between Australia and South Africa.”
“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.”
“I’ve seen the landscape evolve for female officials and how many are now being recognized
🚨 Sue Redfern is the first ICC-appointed female neutral umpire to stand in a bilateral series! @Sue_redfern will officiate in the upcoming #AUSvSA T20I series and the ICC Women’s Championship pic.twitter.com/s568FhQOYH
— Women’s CricZone (@WomensCricZone) January 17, 2024
and supported across many countries. I am sure this appointment can help build momentum and visibility to help further develop female officials across the world in the future.”
“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,” said Sue in the ICC statement.
The female neutral umpires will be selected on merit and more of them will be included in the panel of umpires in the upcoming years.
“This is a watershed moment for women’s cricket as we look to both implement a female match officials’ pathway program 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.”
“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,” said Wasim Khan.
South Africa will be playing their first T20I match on the South Africa women’s tour of Australia 2024 on January 27 at Manuka Oval.
