NEW DELHI: After having successfully conducted a Women’s T20 World Cup with all women match-officials team, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is working on a roadmap to get women into its panel of umpires which currently has only men in it. The world body is looking to have women officiating in men’s international games.
“The idea is to make umpiring a gender-neutral opportunity in cricket. The first objective is to get women to officiate in a few of the men’s bilateral matches. The purpose is for the Elite panel to have both men and women on it, also supported by opportunities being provided for members in their home matches,” an ICC source told TOI.
The recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar saw women officiating matches. The ICC also aspires to have women stand in men’s ICC events. Currently, ICC has two panels of umpires—Elite and International. As of now, the host board appoints umpires for women’s international bilateral matches.
“A big part in the global growth strategy is for the increased coverage of female match officials. There is an outline of that plan with commitments and aims to help develop this area. This includes consultation with members, redeveloping the selection criteria process, getting more female match officials and high-quality umpires,” the source said.
TOI understands that the plan is still at a nascent stage and is likely to be discussed in the upcoming ICC cricket committee meeting. The ICC is waiting to appoint someone to head the panel of match officials and the roadmap is likely to be ready in four months.
