Women in Kerala are breaking barriers in the field of cricket umpiring, a domain traditionally dominated by men. The state now has six female umpires, with two of them—T.P. Soniamol and Farha Shirin—recently officiating as fourth umpires in the inaugural Kerala Cricket League (KCL), held at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
While the role of a fourth umpire primarily supports the on-field umpires, it involves crucial responsibilities like monitoring player substitutions, overseeing pitch conditions during breaks, and handling tasks such as checking the batteries in the light meter.
Farha, a Kozhikode native, had represented Kerala as an opening batter from 2009 to 2020 and now works as a guest faculty member at Malabar Christian College. She compares her life to the character Pathu from the 2023 Malayalam film Sesham Mike-il Fathima, saying, “I can relate to the character as even now my mother, Suharabi, cannot digest the fact that I was once a cricket player and now an umpire.”
Despite family tensions, officiating in the KCL was a major opportunity for her. “I consider those matches on a par with IPL matches. Fourth umpires are not commonly seen in cricket tournaments. Our responsibility includes sending the players to the ground on time and to ensure that they maintain decorum,” she explained.
Soniamol, from Tripunithura, has been a physical education teacher at Cochin Refinery School and also played for Kerala for five years until 2012. Reflecting on her experience at the KCL, she said, “I knew the rules of cricket umpiring, but only during the KCL did I realise the specific rules that go along with the fourth umpire. More and more girls should come to the game of cricket as there are umpteen opportunities. They have to stay in the game and have to keep updating themselves if they wish to become an umpire.”
The other female umpires in Kerala include Hannah Abraham, P. Saritha, Chaithanya, and Binisha.
According to Kerala Cricket Association secretary Vinod S. Kumar, the state body has been actively promoting women’s cricket. “A pink cricket championship is on the anvil, which will give more opportunities to women umpires,” he added.
(Quotes and inputs sourced from The New Indian Express)
