New Zealander Kim Cotton is set to become the first woman to umpire a major world cup final after being appointed to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup showpiece in Melbourne tomorrow night.
Cotton will stand in the final between Australia and India, potentially in front of a world-record attendance for a women’s sporting event, alongside Pakistan’s Ashan Raza.
The West Indies’ Gregory Brathwaite will be the TV umpire while England’s Chris Broad will be the match referee.
The prized appointment is the continuation of a steady ascent through the ranks for Cotton, who began umpiring men’s senior cricket in Timaru a decade ago; was included in NZC’s reserve panel in 2016-17 and stood in the previous ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2018.
She umpired her first NZC domestic men’s List A fixture in November; has worked as a television umpire in both domestic T20s leagues and, six weeks ago, in the third T20I between the BLACKCAPS and India.
A lawyer by profession, Cotton officiated in Australia’s weather-affected semi-final against South Africa. Tomorrow evening’s match will her fifth of the tournament.
The New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, made their Test debut in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth nation to play Test cricket. After waiting 26 years for their first Test win against the West Indies in 1956, they also played their first ODI in 1972–73 against Pakistan. New Zealand are the inaugural World Test Championship champions (2021) and have won the ICC Champions Trophy (2000). They have reached the Cricket World Cup final twice and the T20 World Cup final once.
