New Zealand’s Kim Cotton on Wednesday created history after becoming the first female on-field umpire to stand in a men’s international match between two ICC full-member countries.
On Wednesday, Cotton officiated in the second T20I between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the University Oval in Dunedin.
Cotton, 45, 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.