Kathy Cross becomes the first female umpire in ICC Panel

Dubai: New Zealand`s Kathy Cross on Thursday became the first woman to be inducted in an ICC umpires` panel when she was named as an Associate and Affiliate International official following the annual review and selection process.

Cross and Nigel Morrison have joined Sameer Bandekar, Mark Hawthorne, Wynand Louw, David Odhiambo, Buddhi Pradhan, Sarika Siva Prasad, Richard Smith, Ian Ramage and Courtney Young in the panel for 2014. The panel was named by the Associate and Affiliate Selection Committee, which comprises of Vince Van Der Bijl, ICC Umpire and Referees Manager; David Jukes, ICC Regional Match Referee; Brian Aldridge, a former Test umpire; Adrian Griffith, ICC Umpire and Referees Administration Manager; and Edward Fitzgibbon, ICC Development Events Manager. The 56-year-old Cross was born in Taumarunui, King Country, and is now eligible for appointments to ICC World Cricket League Divisions 3 to 6. Cross has previously officiated in the Women`s World Cup in Australia in 2009 and in India in 2013, the ICC said in a statement. Cross said she was thrilled with her induction into the panel. "I am absolutely delighted to have been selected to the ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel of International Umpires. Being the first woman on the panel is a great honour and I look forward to the opportunities this selection will afford me, and to working with the Associate and Affiliate panel," she said. The only other change to the panel was the addition of Vanuatu`s Nigel Morrison in place of Shahul Hameed from Indonesia. Morrison has previously officiated in World Cricket League Division 8 in Samoa in 2012 and World Cricket League Division 7 in Botswana in 2013. The umpires on the ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel of International Umpires can be assigned to ODI and T20I matches involving Associate and Affiliate Members, Intercontinental Cup matches, Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Divisions 3 to 6 and other Associate and Affiliate tournaments, as well as Development Events.