Four Bangladeshi women umpires join ICC panel
Sports Desk
Four Bangladeshi women umpires and one woman match referee have joined the prestigious panel of International Cricket Council for the first time, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has confirmed.
Four umpires Shathira Jakir Jessy, Rokeya Sultana Chowdhury, Doly Rani Sarkar, and Champa Chakma have joined ICC development panel, while Supriya Rani has joined the ICC international panel as a match referee.
The development panel umpires mostly oversee matches between ICC members yet to get full status (associate members), but the umpires can also attend matches of their home countries at the One Day International and T20 international events.
Engagements under the development panel pave the way for future inclusion in the ICC elite umpires’ panel.
It is worth noting that Sathira Zakir is the first women umpire in the history of Bangladesh cricket having debuted in October 2022. Two years into introducing women to umpiring, the BCB is starting to see results, Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu, chairman of BCB umpires' committee, has said.
"It's a big achievement for our cricket, and especially for women's cricket,” he added.
Sharfuddoula, Masudur Rahman, Gazi Sohel, Tanvir Ahmed are the male umpires from Bangladesh to serve in the ICC panel. At the ICC’s referee panel, there are two Bangladeshi male referees.
