Claire Polosak of Australia made history when she became the first woman umpire ever to officiate a men’s one-day international match. She took the field for the final of the ICC World Cricket League Division Two on 27th April 2019 in Windhoek, Namibia.
The match was played between hosts Namibia and Oman and resulted in Namibia winning the tournament by defeating Oman by 145 runs.
Polosak has had a great career as an umpire and has broken many records in the past. She has officiated 15 one-day international women’s matches, including the semifinal of the Women’s World Twenty20 in 2018. Also, she has officiated matches at the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2017.
In October 2017, the 31-year-old became the first woman umpire in an Australian men’s domestic match.
But her list of achievements does not end there.
Back in 2018, she along with Eloise Sheridan became the only two women umpires to officiate together for the first time ever in Australia during the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), the Australian women’s domestic Twenty20 tournament.
On achieving this amazing feat, Polosak said, “I am thrilled to be the first woman to stand in a men’s ODI and how far I have come as an umpire.” She added, “It really is important to promote women umpires and there’s no reason why females can’t umpire in cricket. It’s about breaking down barriers, creating awareness so more females can come into the role.”
Isn’t this wonderful news where women are making massive strides in a domain traditionally dominated by men. What do you think?
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