Kim Cotton becomes first female on-field umpire in men's int'l cricket

DUNEDIN: Kim Cotton of New Zealand made history on Wednesday, becoming the first female on-field umpire to stand in a men's international match between two ICC full-member countries.

Cotton officiated the second T20I between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday.

The 45-year-old, who previously umpired in 16 women's ODIs and 44 T20Is, first marked her presence in men's cricket as a TV umpire during a tied T20I between India and New Zealand in 2020.

The New Zealander was one of the on-field umpires for both the 2022 Women's World Cup final (50-over) and the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup final in February.

Previously, Claire Polosak was the first female umpire in a men's international in 2019 when she stood in an ODI match between Oman and Namibia, both associate nations.

Polosak had also become the first female match official in a men's Test match as the fourth umpire during a 2021-22 Border Gavaskar Trophy Test match between India and Australia in Sydney last year.