Claire Polosak becomes first female umpire to officiate men's ODI

In an unprecedented move, Australia's Claire Polosak will from now be known as the first ever female umpire after she officiates a men's one-day international on Saturday in Windhoek, Namibia.

Polosak will umpire the final of the World Cricket League Division 2, between Namibia and Oman, who both secured ODI status after finishing in the top two positions of the table.

Elated when she was informed she will be shouldering the responsibility of umpiring the match, an ecstatic Polosak revealed, “We go out there to umpire. Not to get a final appointment, but to be a part of a team, to be involved in the game."

She further told the ICC, "It’s really to do with the partners you work with all the way through. Right from my local association – NSW umpires and scorers – as well as parents and my partner, Evans, my husband, without whose support there’s no way I’d be here today.”

In the past too, Polosak has umpired a men's match. In 2017, she became the first on-field female umpire to officiate a men’s domestic game in Australia.

Moreover, Polosak also holds the distinct stature of becoming the first woman to officiate in the final of an ICC T20 Women's World Cup, standing in the most recent edition in the Caribbean.

She also helmed the unique position of being one of the two female umpires, along with Eloise Sheridan, who officiated together, in a game on Australian soil during the Women's Big Bash League 2018.