Sue Redfern adds another feather to her cap as she is all set to become the first female neutral umpire appointed by ICC to officiate in a bilateral series.
Sue Redfern, the former England international, debuted on 18th July 1995 in an ODI against the Netherlands. She represented her country in 15 ODIs and 6 Test matches. After she retired from International cricket, she switched to officiating in the 2nd innings of her sporting career. She is now all set to become the first female neutral umpire appointed by ICC to officiate in an upcoming bilateral white-ball series between Australia and South Africa.
Proactive steps are being taken to encourage the involvement of female officials in the sport. Last year, we witnessed an all-female match officials panel in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) also involved women officials across various stages of the tournament.
“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.” ICC’s General Manager of Cricket, Wasim Khan speaks about accelerating officiating opportunities for women to increase the exposure.
Sue Redfern creates history (again). #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/YECFbCzjly
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 17, 2024
She has made some glorious achievements in her umpiring career so far. Her stint includes a few global tournaments, including the Commonwealth Games 2022, three ICC Women’s T20 World Cups, and a couple of ICC Women’s World Cups. In 2021, she became the first woman umpire to officiate in a home match for the England men’s team in a T20I against Sri Lanka. She became the first woman to have played in a Women’s Cricket World Cup and then stand in a tournament as an umpire in the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
She was also one of the on-field umpires for the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2022 in New Zealand. In 2022, she became the first female to officiate in a T20 Blast match for a game between Gloucestershire and Middlesex, as far as her stints in the domestic circuit as an umpire are concerned. She was also one of the on-field umpires in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Hundred in 2021.
“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. I’ve seen the landscape evolve for female officials and how many are now being recognized 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.” Sue Redfern speaks about being excited about the opportunity and the fact that her appointment to the officiating panel would play a crucial role in building momentum for the development of women officials.
The Australian women’s team led by skipper Alyssa Healy is all set to host South Africa for an all-format series which includes a three-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series and then a one-off Test Match. The series will get underway on 27th January 2024 and conclude on 15th February 2024.
(Quotes sourced from ICC Press Release).
