Cricket News: History made in Namibia as a female umpire officiates a men's ODI match
What's the story?
Claire Polosak, a woman umpire who had officiated women's cricket matches earlier, has made history by becoming the first ever woman umpire to officiate a men's One Day International match. She is officiating the ongoing final match of the World Cricket League Division 2, between Oman and Namibia.
The background
Earlier in 2017, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had appointed 4 female umpires for the ICC Women's World T20 Qualifier. Former England left-arm spinner Sue Redfern, New Zealander Kathleen Cross, Australia’s Claire Polosak and West Indies’ Jacqueline Williams had officiated the matches conducted in Bangkok last year.
Also Read - First ever female umpires to stand in ICC event
The heart of the matter
Oman and Namibia made history by securing their ODI statuses after qualifying for the final match of the World Cricket League Division 2. However, it was not their match which made the headlines.
It was Australia's Claire Polosak, a female umpire, who has become the latest talking point in all the cricketing circles.
While many fans believed that Polosak would have been aware of her historic moment since long, but the woman umpire revealed that she was informed by ICC on the eve of the final only.
Polosak said:
"I am thrilled to be the first woman to stand in a men’s ODI and how far I have come as an umpire. It really is important to promote women umpires and there's no reason why females can't umpire in cricket. It's about breaking down barriers, creating awareness so more females can come into the role."
This is not the first time that she is playing the role of an umpire in a men's game as she had officiated a domestic men's game in Australia earlier.
What's next?
Including women's ODIs, this was the 15th game that Polosak has officiated in. Seeing how she became the first female umpire to stand in a men's ODI, expect many more female umpires to be involved in the mix soon.