Indian Umpires Janani Narayanan, Vrinda Rathi Inducted Into The ICC Panel

Two Indian women umpires made it to the International Panel of ICC Development umpires as of today. Janani Narayanan and Vrinda Rathi are the two elite names, who romped their way to the group of women umpires in the latest list. The two additional names made the number of women officials to 12 across different ICC sections.

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The addition of two women umpires in the ICC panel follows a year-long campaign, named as 100 per cent cricket which got launched before the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup in 2021.

The step allows more fizz to get created for another mega event in the upcoming year with regards to women’s cricket. More than 86000 were present at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Women’s T20 World Cup final on the 8th of March.

NEWS?: Indian female umpires Janani Narayanan and Vrinda Rathi have been named in the International Panel of ICC Development Umpires.

Details ➡️ https://t.co/ulRiMRRadu pic.twitter.com/lW08HDHECG

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) March 18, 2020

Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager of Umpires and Referees, couldn’t hold back her excitement on the appointment of two more officials. She admitted that roping in a couple of umpires would indeed help in further growth of women’s cricket and take it in a positive direction.

Griffith remains confident that the pair would use all their experience to facilitate the growth and promised to provide them with all the support from their end as well.

“These are exciting times for women’s cricket, and it is only appropriate that we have more women officials at the international level. We will work proactively with Member Boards to give female officials the pathway needed for their growth… I am sure Janani and Vrinda are looking forward to their time on the panel. I wish them all the best and hope they not only perform well on assignment, but continue to develop their skillset with our support as they travel along their journey.” Griffith said as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.

Janani Narayanan and Vrinda Rathi speak ahead of their assignments for the ICC:

Vrinda conceded that it’s an absolute honour to have been named in the ICC’s development panel. She further said that she is sure of learning on the job from her experienced colleagues and that this was the 31-year old’s path forward has already worked in two positions before relating to it.

“I feel privileged to be named in ICC’s development panel as this opens new avenues for me. I am sure I will get to learn a lot from other members of the panel and look forward to future assignments… Having played cricket and also officiated as a scorer, this was a natural progression for me and I am happy at the way things have unfolded.” Vrinda stated.

Janani was equally ecstatic at being inducted into the ICC’s development panel. She admitted that she would get to learn aplenty from her seniors and acknowledged that ever since the 90s, the sport has become part of her daily routine.

The 34-year old was keen to get associated and contribute heavily at a higher level.

“It feels great to know that Vrinda and I have been inducted into the ICC’s development panel. This gives me the chance to learn from seniors on the circuit and improve in the years to come. Cricket has become part of my daily routine since the 90s and I look forward to be associated with the sport at a higher level.” Janani mentioned.

The other women match officials across the ICC panels comprise of GS Lakshmi, Shandre Fritz (International Panel Match Referees); Lauren Agenbag, Kim Cotton, Shivani Mishra, Claire Polosak, Sue Redfern, Eloise Sheridan, Mary Waldron, Jacquline Williams (all International Panel of ICC Development Umpires).

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