Lahore, July 6, 2026: Pakistani umpire Saleema Imtiaz has created history by becoming the first woman from Pakistan to officiate at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, adding another milestone to her trailblazing career in international cricket.
The landmark appointment comes less than two years after Saleema became Pakistan’s first female umpire to be named to the ICC International Development Panel in September 2024.
Expressing her joy over the achievement, Saleema described the opportunity to officiate at the pinnacle of women’s cricket as a dream come true and a proud moment for both herself and Pakistan.
“It is a great pleasure to be representing Pakistan at the biggest stage and an honour to become the first woman from my country to officiate in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup,” she said.
“I’m immensely thankful to everyone, including my family and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), for the invaluable support throughout this journey. Hopefully, I can inspire more women and girls back home to take up cricket professionally as players as well as match officials,” she added.
Saleema joined the tournament’s panel of match officials as a replacement for Lauren Agenberg and quickly took on several key assignments during the competition.
She first served as the fourth umpire in the India vs South Africa match at Old Trafford on June 21 before making her on-field ICC Women’s T20 World Cup debut in the New Zealand vs Scotland fixture in Bristol.
On the same day, she also performed the role of TV umpire during the Sri Lanka vs Ireland match.
Her assignments continued with an on-field appearance in the India vs Bangladesh encounter at Old Trafford. She is also scheduled to serve as TV umpire for the England vs New Zealand match at The Oval and as fourth umpire for the Australia vs India fixture at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground.
The 54-year-old official has been a pioneer in Pakistan’s cricket officiating fraternity. She began her umpiring career with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s women’s panel in 2008 and has since officiated in nine Women’s One-Day Internationals (WODIs) and 58 Women’s Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is).
Saleema is also the mother of former Pakistan women’s international cricketer Kainat Imtiaz, making the family one of the country’s notable contributors to women’s cricket.
