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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Sue Redfern as the first female neutral umpire to officiate a bilateral series, ensuring one neutral umpire for all ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) series, along with T20I matches scheduled between same opponents. The 46-year-old will be standing in the T20I series between Australia and South Africa women, followed by their IWC bilateral series.
Born on October 26, 1977 in Mansfield, England, Sue Redfern began her journey in cricket as a player in 1995 for his home nation. She played six Tests and 15 ODIs for England from 1995 to 1999, including four ODIs during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 1997 before transitioning into a full-time umpire.
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Sue Redfern has been on the ICC Development Panel of Umpires since 2016, officiating two ICC Women’s Cricket World Cups and three ICC Women’s T20 World Cups since then. Wasim Khan, the ICC General Manager of Cricket, spoke about the recent development and said on their official website, “This is a watershed moment for women’s cricket as we look to both implement a female match officials’ pathway programme and accelerate officiating opportunities for our very best performers.”
“Neutral appointments will give female umpires more exposure to different conditions and will support the learning and development of local female umpires who officiate alongside them. Last year we had the first all-female match officials’ panel at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa and so it is important that we build on that momentum through a combination of development and high-quality opportunities,” he added.
The first reaction of Sue Redfern after getting appointed as the first female neutral umpire by the ICC read, “It’s an honour to be named by the ICC as its first official female neutral umpire and I’m very excited about the upcoming series between Australia and South Africa. This is a defining moment for both women’s cricket and female cricket officials, who have worked hard and been given development opportunities in recent years.”
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“I’ve seen the landscape evolve for female officials and how many are now being recognised and supported across many countries. I am sure this appointment can help build momentum and visibility to help further develop female officials across the world in the future. Personally, I would like to thank the ICC and the ECB for their support over the years and I look forward to more such appointments,” she concluded.
Sue Redfern will officiate the three-match T20I series between Australia and South Africa Women in January, followed by three ODIs in February, which are going to be a part of the ICC Women’s Championship.
