New Zealand cricket authorities on Sunday fielded a female cricket umpire in the second T20 international against Pakistan played in Hamilton.
But this was not the first international match for Kim Diane Cotton to officiate.
In the world of cricket, history was created on April 5, 2023, Kim Cotton became the first-ever female umpire to stand in a men`s international cricket match featuring two full-member countries. Cotton accomplished the feat during the second T20I match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Dunedin.
The 45-year-old was named as one of the 12 on-field umpires for the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20. In February 2022, she was named as one of the on-field umpires for the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
For Sunday’s fixture against Pakistan, Kim Cotton was accompanied by another New Zealand umpire Wayne Knights.
The cricket field was not the only area where the female umpire has set foot, the commentary box was already invaded by the women commentators.
For the Pakistan match, Lisa Sthalekar and Urooj Mumtaz were among the galaxy of former cricket stars including Bazid Khan, Grant Elliot, Kyle Mills, Mark Butcher, Ramiz Raja, Wasim Akram, Simon Doull, Danny Morrison, Scott Styris, Sikander Bakht.
