Shathira Jakir Jessy, a trailblazing umpire from Bangladesh, is one of 20 match officials selected to officiate the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia.
After serving as a bowler for her nation, Shathira was the first female umpire chosen by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). She most recently officiated the 2024 Women’s T20 Asia Cup. Dedunu De Silva and Candace La Borde, who both served on the match officials team for the first tournament final in which India won the trophy, accompany her.
Kerrin Klaaste, 26, of South Africa, has also been chosen to officiate the competition for the second time. Among those assigned to the tournament for the first time are Narayanan Janani and Gayathri Venugopalan, two of India’s first officials. Together with Vrinda Rathi, they were the first female umpires to officiate a men’s domestic match in India.
Another member of the lineup, Shivani Mishra, officiated a men’s Twenty20 International in January 2019 and became the first female on-field umpire.
With 14 countries represented, including Qatar, Ireland, the United States, and Oman, ICC Senior Manager-Umpires and Referees Sean Easey emphasised the diversity of the officials recruited as he looked ahead to the event that begins on January 18.
He congratulated the match referees and umpires who were chosen for this event. “These players have merited selection due to their strong bilateral cricket performances. Like the game they represent, the group is incredibly diverse,” he remarked.
These officials have been identified as having high potential, much as the players at this event. He continued, “We have no doubt that they will play well and that some of them will advance to officiate at the higher levels of the game.”
David Gilbert, Dean Cosker, Reon King, and Trudy Anderson have been appointed as match referees.
Match Officials for ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025:
Umpires: Ashlee Gibbons (Australia), Shathira Jakir Jessy (Bangladesh), Gayathri Venugopalan (India), Narayanan Janani (India), Aidan Seaver (Ireland), Nitin Bathi (Netherlands), Rizwan Akram (Netherlands), Rahul Asher (Oman), Saleema Imtiaz (Pakistan), Shivani Mishra (Qatar), Kerrin Klaaste (South Africa), Dedunu De Silva (Sri Lanka), Vijaya Prakash Mallela (USA), Candace La Borde (West Indies), Maria Abbott (West Indies), Forster Mutizwa (Zimbabwe)
Match referees: David Gilbert (Australia), Dean Cosker (England), Trudy Anderson (New Zealand), Reon King (West Indies)
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