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The International Cricket Council (ICC) made the announcement of the match officials, with England's Anna Harris, making her debut at a major ICC event, given the honour of umpiring the opening game of the tournament in South Africa.
The 24-year-old will be joined in the middle by experienced New Zealander Kim Cotton when the host nation faces Sri Lanka at Newlands on 10 February. Three match referees and 10 umpires make up a 13-woman officiating team, an all-female team for the first time ever at an ICC event. GS Lakshmi is the match referee, with Eloise Sheridan as the TV Umpire and Suzanne Redfern fourth umpire. At her debut tournament, Harris will also oversee Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka vs Australia and India vs Ireland. Cotton, who umpired the record-breaking final of the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Melbourne, will also take charge of England vs India, India v Ireland and Australia vs Bangladesh. Claire Polosak, the most experienced of the umpires selected, will be on the field when England faces India, West Indies and Ireland as well as Pakistan vs Ireland. South Africa's Lauren Agenbag, umpiring on home soil, has four group stage appointments, including the grandstand India vs Pakistan fixture on 12 February. Jacqueline Williams of the West Indies will join Agenbag at the helm when the old rivals collide at Newlands. Sri Lanka's Nimali Perera and England's Sue Redfern will be in charge when Australia begin the defence of their ICC Women's T20 World Cup title, against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand at Boland Park in Paarl on 11 February. Appointments for the two semi-finals and final, taking place on 23, 24 and 26 February, have not yet been made. (ANI)
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