Three West Indians have been named among the 20 match officials appointed for the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, set to take place in Malaysia.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Candace La Borde, who officiated the semi-finals and final of the 2023 edition, which saw India being crowned champions, headlines the list.
She will be joined by the first qualified Vincentian female umpire, Maria Abbott, and former West Indies pacer turned official, Reon King of Guyana, in representing the Caribbean at the global tournament.
Bangladeshi umpire Shathira Jakir Jessy, a trailblazer in her home country, is also among the appointed officials. Shathira was the first female umpire appointed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board and recently stood at the 2024 Women’s T20 Asia Cup.
Dedunu De Silva, who was also a part of the officiating team for the inaugural tournament final, also makes a return.
South Africa’s Kerrin Klaaste will make her second appearance as an umpire at the tournament, while India’s pioneering officials, Narayanan Janani and Gayathri Venugopalan, have been selected for the first time. Both made history as the first women to umpire men’s domestic fixtures in India.
Shivani Mishra, who became the first female on-field umpire to officiate in a men’s T20I in January 2019, is also part of the officiating team.
Sean Easey, ICC’s senior manager in charge of umpires and referees, praised the diversity of the appointed officials and expressed confidence in their abilities.
“Congratulations to the umpires and match referees who have been selected for this event. These individuals have earned selection by performing well in bilateral cricket. It is a wonderfully diverse group, just like the game that they represent,” Easey said.
“Similar to the players at this event, these officials have been identified as having high potential. We are confident that they will perform well and that some will progress to officiate at the higher levels of the game,” he added.
The tournament, scheduled to bowl off on January 18, will feature representation from 14 nations, including Qatar, Ireland, the USA, and Oman.
West Indies young women’s outfit are scheduled to open their account on January 19 against defending champions India in Group A. They will then face Sri Lanka on January 21, before closing the group stages against the host on January 23.
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) Sportsmax
