ICC announces all-female officiating panel for Women's T20 World Cup 2026
By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced an all-female panel of match officials for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, marking the third consecutive edition of the tournament to feature an entirely female officiating team.
A total of 14 umpires and four match referees will officiate 33 matches during the tournament, scheduled to be held across England and Wales from June 12.
Four officials — Candace La Borde, Gayathri Venugopalan, Kerrin Klaaste and Shathira Jakir Jesy, have received their maiden appointments for the Women’s T20 World Cup.
The ICC has retained nine officials from the 2024 edition, reflecting continuity within the officiating group.
Australia’s Claire Polosak remains the most experienced umpire on the panel and is set to officiate in her sixth Women’s T20 World Cup. She has stood in 22 matches across previous editions.
Jacquline Williams and Kim Cotton will make their fifth tournament appearances, having officiated in 19 matches each.
The match referee panel includes returning officials Shandre Fritz, GS Lakshmi and Michell Pereira, along with New Zealand’s Trudy Anderson.
Announcing the appointments, ICC Chief Executive Officer Sanjog Gupta said the panel reflected the governing body’s commitment to expanding representation across all areas of the sport.
Gupta said the officials were selected through a “comprehensive, holistic, and evidence-based” evaluation process and praised the standards displayed during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.
Describing the upcoming tournament as “the biggest women’s sporting event in the world”, he said the selected officials would help further elevate the competition.
The umpiring panel comprises Lauren Agenbag, Kim Cotton, Anna Harris, Shathira Jakir Jesy, Kerrin Klaaste, Candace La Borde, Janani N, Nimali Perera, Claire Polosak, Vrinda Rathi, Suzanne Redfern, Eloise Sheridan, Jacquline Williams and Gayathri Venugopalan.
The four match referees appointed for the tournament are Trudy Anderson, Shandre Fritz, GS Lakshmi and Michell Pereira.