On Tuesday (14th May), the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that GS Lakshmi becomes the first woman to be part of ICC International Panel of Match Referees. Lakshmi is now eligible to officiate the international cricket matches.
GS Lakshmi was an Indian domestic cricketer who never played for the women’s national team. However, she was a member of the Indian women’s national cricket team during their tour of England in 1999.
During her professional cricket career between 1986 and 2004, Lakshmi played for various domestic teams. Her domestic teams were South Central Railways, Andhra, Bihar, East Zone and South Zone.
After retiring from professional cricket, Lakshmi took the coaching role. Till 2014, she coached South Central Railways. Meanwhile, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the female referees in women’s domestic cricket in 2008, Lakshmi was among the first five female referees to take that role.
GS Lakshmi will be 51-year-old on this 23rd May. Till the date, she has taken charge in three women’s ODI matches and three women’s T20I matches.
To be selected in the international panel by the ICC is a huge honour for me – GS Lakshmi
Lakshmi feels a tremendous honour to take this new role. She believes that her past experiences in cricket can play a useful role in her new responsibilities.
Lakshmi told according to icc-cricket.com, “To be selected in the international panel by the ICC is a huge honour for me as it opens up new avenues. I have had a long career as a cricketer in India and also as a Match Referee. I hope to put my experience both as a player and as a match official to good use on the international circuit.”
Lakshmi thanked ICC, BCCI and her other supporters to help her for a long time to reach this success.
She added, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ICC, officials at the BCCI, my seniors in the cricketing circuit, my family and colleagues who have supported me over the years. I hope to live up to their expectations by doing my job to the best of my ability.”
Recently, Claire Polosak became the first woman to play the on-field umpiring role in a men’s ODI. She stood as an on-field umpire during the recent final of ICC World Cricket League Division Two between Namibia and Oman on 27th April 2019.
On the other hand, Australian Eloise Sheridan becomes the new female member in the ICC Development Panel of Umpires. With this inclusion, this panel has now eight women. The other seven members are Claire Polosak, Lauren Agenbag, Kim Cotton, Shivani Mishra, Sue Redfern, Mary Waldron and Jacqueline Williams.
