ICC Announces All-Female Match Officials Panel for Women's T20 World Cup 2026 The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Officials for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, marking the third consecutive edition of the tournament to feature an all-female officiating panel. The selection includes 14 umpires and four match referees, with four officials set to make their tournament debut. The panel will oversee matches in England and Wales from June 12, continuing the ICC’s commitment to gender diversity in cricket administration. Among the debutantes are Candace La Borde, Gayathri Venugopalan, Kerrin Klaaste, and Shathira Jakir Jesy, who will join the panel for the first time. The ICC CEO, Sanjog Gupta, highlighted the significance of the panel, stating, “This selection reflects the ICC’s commitment to expanding representation across all facets of the sport.” He also praised the elevated standards of officiating demonstrated by the officials during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 (CWC25), emphasizing the organization’s focus on evidence-based assessments of officials’ performance. The panel includes several returning officials from the 2024 edition, with nine members of the match officials’ team set to return for the 2026 tournament. Australian umpire Claire Polosak, the most experienced official, will make her sixth appearance at the event, having previously umpired 22 matches. Jacquline Williams and Kim Cotton, who have each overseen 19 matches at the tournament, will reach the milestone of officiating their fifth Women’s T20 World Cup. The Smart Replay System, an advanced technology introduced to aid TV umpires in making quicker and more accurate decisions, will also be utilized during the tournament.#icc #sanjog_gupta #claire_polosak #lauren_agenbag #smart_replay_system
