Sue Redfern: Umpire becomes first woman to stand in T20 Blast
- Published
Umpire Sue Redfern worked at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup earlier this year
Sue Redfern will become the first woman to stand as an on-field umpire in the T20 Blast when Gloucestershire host Middlesex in Bristol on Sunday.
The 45-year-old was appointed to the Professional Umpires' Team, the ECB's group of elite officials, last year.
Members of the team can stand in men's and women's professional domestic cricket in England and Wales.
"It'll be a breakthrough moment, not just for me but for our sport," Redfern told the ECB website, external.
"I remind myself that I've worked extremely hard to progress my career to this stage and I've got to this point in my career on merit."
The Professional Umpires' Team replaced the first-class panel of umpires as the ECB sought the best way of attracting and appointing umpires from all backgrounds.
"The steps the ECB has taken over the past couple of seasons to make the umpiring pathway more inclusive have opened up opportunities like these for me," said Redfern, who played six Tests and 15 one-day internationals for England.
"This is just the next step in my progression as an umpire - with my ambition to be the best I can be.
"It's clearly more than just that though.
"I'm sure there will be some emotion come Sunday because I realise it'll be an important moment for other female umpires who want to follow in my footsteps."
Last month New Zealander Kim Cotton became the first female on-field umpire to stand in a men's international between two full-member nations.
Cotton officiated in the second T20 between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Dunedin.