BROOKLYN, NY – Jamaican Jacqueline Williams is looking forward to making a significant step in her career as an international cricket umpire – taking up duty in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which begins on Friday – with the hope that she will be an inspiration for females across the region who want to take similar steps in sports.
Williams, who is already in New Zealand, is fresh from the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, where she created history as the first female to stand in the tournament. She also had the unique honor when she was the fourth umpire in the final at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
Now Williams is in New Zealand and readying herself for the marquee event in women’s cricket.
“The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup was a very successful one for me. Going into any event, I don’t look towards being in the final or anything like that; I just focus on doing my job to the best of my ability,” she said.
“One of the things that I was able to do, I prepared well for the tournament, and I was fortunate enough to be selected for the final, among an excellent team of officials. Making it to the finals, you know, that was a surreal moment for me and a very humbling one as well.”
She added: “Now, being appointed to the ICC Women’s World Cup is another step in my career, and I want to continue to do a good job. I know a lot is expected of me, and the ICC U19 World Cup would have given me some excellent experience and some good on-field time and TV time. So, I’m just looking forward to transferring that success across here in the women’s tournament.”
Williams, 45, said she wants to continue to inspire females across the region who have ambitions to be match officials or administrators in all sporting disciplines.
“I’m looking ahead to this … what is ahead tournament and, as I have said in interviews before, I would like to be an inspiration to other female sports officials looking on so they can realize that ‘yes’ there are females out there … and they can see the path … do the work that is required,” she said.
Several women are making their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup debuts. Former South Africa player Shandré Fritz featured in 2005, 2009, and 2013 World Cups will be the Match Referee in a Women’s World Cup match, as will her compatriot Lauren Agenbag, the first woman from her country to umpire a T20I International. Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (on-field), Alex Wharf (third umpire), and Sue Redfern (fourth umpire) will be the other officials for the opening match.
Along with Williams, Agenbeg, Fritz, and Redfern, the other women in the tournament are Match Referee GS Lakshmi and umpires Kim Cotton, Claire Polosak, and Eloise Sheridan.
Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees, said the appointments were part of ICC’s policy of nurturing the best available talent in different countries. Griffith is a former West Indies top-order batter who played 14 Test matches and nine One-Day Internationals between 1997 and 2000.
“We are proud to announce eight women Match Officials in our team for the tournament. We had six women match officials at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, and the steady upward path is as per our plans and keeping with our long-term vision. But while we have been continuously increasing the number of women officials, there have been no concessions, and all of them deserve to be there,” Griffith said.
“The appointments are based on merit, and they have made it to the top level because of their skill and perseverance. It is good to have a good mix of experience, and it is heartening to note the number of firsts for women officials in recent years. I wish all the match officials the very best and am confident that we will have fair adjudication during the tournament.”
On Friday, the tournament bowls off with the opening match between hosts New Zealand Women and West Indies Women at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The event runs until April 3, with the final at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
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