The ICC has announced three match referees and ten umpires for the mega event’s 13-woman team.
Vrinda Rathi, 33, hails from Navi Mumbai and began her thrilling journey in Mumbai’s maidans. Rathi used to score local matches before passing the BCCI scorers exam with flying colours. She was most notably the official BCCI scorer for the 2013 Women’s World Cup. After finishing second in the BCCI Level 2 exam to become India’s first female umpire, she decided to switch to umpiring.
Surprisingly, the Mumbai-based umpire recently officiated in the Ranji Trophy match between Goa and Pondicherry at Porvorim. In addition, Vrinda Rathi served on the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) panel of development umpires in 2020.
As a result, Rathi has become the first Indian woman to serve as an on-field umpire in the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup, which is being held in South Africa.
Wasim Khan, General Manager of the International Cricket Council (ICC), expressed his delight at having an all-female panel officiating World Cup matches. He stated that this move was not only necessary, but also long overdue, because women’s cricket has grown in popularity and it was essential to give women the opportunity to work in all aspects of the sports industry.
In the same vein, ICC manager of women’s cricket, Snehal Pradhan chimed in and said, “When young women and girls see it, they believe that they can be it. That is just one of the many reasons why this match officials panel is so unique.”
“It shows the next generation that there is a career and a pathway that takes them to the very top of the game, the World Cup, even if you’re not a player. It demonstrates that there are numerous ways to participate “Pradhan concluded.
