Kim Cotton becomes the first woman to officiate men's International Cricket Match

Kim Cotton of New Zealand made history by becoming the first woman to serve as an on-field umpire during a men's international game between two ICC full members. At the University Oval in Dunedin, Kim presided over the second Twenty20 International match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

The 45-year-old made her debut in men's cricket as a TV umpire during a tied T20I between India and New Zealand in 2020. Before, she officiated in 16 women's ODIs and 44 T20Is. The 2022 Women's World Cup final (50-over) and the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup final were both officiated on-field by the New Zealander in February.

As she officiated an ODI match between associate nations Oman and Namibia in 2019, Claire Polosak made history as the first female umpire in a men's international. In her role as the fourth umpire during the 2021–22 Border Gavaskar Trophy Test match between India and Australia in Sydney last year, Claire also made history as the first female match official in a men's Test match.