Referee GS Lakshmi To Become First Woman To Officiate In Men's ODI

GS Lakshmi is set to create yet another history! She is soon to become the first female match referee to officiate in a men's One-day International (ODI) game, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday. After officiating in three women's ODIs, 16 men's T20Is and seven women's T20Is, Lakshmi will soon don the hat in the opening match of the third series of the ICC men's Cricket World Cup League 2, scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2018, Lakshmi as the International Panel of Match Referees became the first woman ever to officiate in a match in May. Lakshmi, 51, took over the position and had become the first female to be inducted in the International Cricket Council (ICCICC)'s panel of match referees. Started out as a match referee in women's domestic cricket in 2008-09, Lakshmi has definitely come a long way since then. “It feels great, having anything assigned first to your name gives me a sense of pride. This being a big ICC event (ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2) it feels great to be officiating at this level,” Lakshmi said in an ICC media release.

The former Indian domestic cricketer, Lakshmi is the first female to have officiated in an ICC event. She was the first woman to be ICC match referee.

“To be selected in the international panel by the ICC is a huge honour for me as it opens up new avenues. I have had a long career as a cricketer in India and also as a Match Referee. I hope to put my experience both as a player and as a match official to good use on the international circuit,” Lakshmi had said in May.

Key Takeaways:

• GS Lakshmi is set to become the first female match referee to oversee a men's ODIGS
• After officiating in three women's ODIs, 16 men's T20Is and seven women's T20Is, Lakshmi will officiate in the opening match of the third series of the ICC men's Cricket World Cup League 2 in the United Arab Emirates.
• She was inducted in ICC's panel of match referees last year

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ICC, officials at the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), my seniors in the cricketing circuit, my family and colleagues who have supported me over the years. I hope to live up to their expectations by doing my job to the best of my ability,” Lakshmi, who is known for her multi-tasking skill-set and fast decision-taking abilities, was quoted as saying in an ICC release.

READ: In A First, Women Referees To Officiate In FIFA U-17 World Cup

Early cricket life

Talking about her passion into cricket and her time as a player, Lakshmi recounted how cricket secured her place at college. “I played cricket with my brothers and friends, when they (the college) saw my skills, I had a natural bowling action, they immediately accepted me to the college and I then played for my state in domestic cricket for 18 years.”

Encouraging women

Lakshmi is hopeful that other women can follow in her footsteps of officiating in the game. “These qualification events provide a good platform to prepare officials and provide them opportunities to gain valuable experience. I hope my promotion to the ICC International Panel of Match Referees and records like this can inspire many females. This is definitely another career opportunity for women,” she added

“I hope to put my experience both as a player and as a match official to good use on the international circuit” - Lakshmi

We believe the opportunity will be encouraging for women officials like Lakshmi to grow as referees and to know their strength better.

READ:How Rajlakshmi Retesh Found Her Second Calling By Training Jawan Wives

Feature Image Credit: Cricbuzz

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