Saleema Imtiaz becomes first Pakistani woman to be nominated as ICC umpire

Pakistan's Saleema Imtiaz has etched her name into the history books after becoming the first woman umpire from the country to be nominated to the ICC International Panel of Development Umpires.

The achievement will allow her to officiate in women's bilateral international matches and ICC Women's events.

Saleema, who's also the mother of Pakistan women's international player Kainat Imtiaz, began her career as an umpire with the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) Women's Umpires Panel in 2008.

Throughout her career, she has officiated high-profile events under the Asian Cricket Council, such as the 2022 and 2024 ACC Women's T20 Asia Cup, the 2023 ACC Emerging Women's Cup in Hong Kong and most recently she was a member of the playing control team for the ACC Women’s Premier Cup 2024 in Kuala Lumpur.

Following her inclusion in the ICC International Panel of Development Umpires, Saleema will officiate the Pakistan-South Africa women's T20I series in Multan set to begin on Monday (tomorrow).

During tomorrow's match, she will be accompanied by Faisal Aafreedi from the PCB International Panel of Umpires with Nasir Hussain as the TV umpire, while Humairah Farah will serve as the fourth umpire and Muhammad Javed Malik from the PCB International Panel of Match Referees will oversee the series as match referee.

'It all feels worth it'

Expressing her views on the development, an elated Saleema said: "I am beyond thrilled to join the ICC International Panel of Development Umpires."

"The journey has been filled with hard work and personal sacrifices, but now, standing at the cusp of this new chapter, it all feels worth it," she remarked, adding that this is not a win only for her but for "every aspiring female cricketer and umpire in Pakistan".

"I hope my success motivates countless women who dream of making their mark in the sport," said the woman umpire.

"This moment reflects the growing influence of women in cricket [....] I sincerely hope to see more women follow in my footsteps and embrace this beautiful game," she added.

Reflecting on her dream, she said that ever since her daughter made her debut for the national side in 2010, she herself had wanted to represent Pakistan at the international level.

"While I've had opportunities with the Asian Cricket Council, officiating at the highest level has always been the ultimate goal. I’m now focused on performing to the best of my abilities in both bilateral and ICC matches and building my reputation as a reliable and respected match official," Saleema noted.