One simple query led 37-year-old Afia Amin embarking on a journey considered quite unique for women in the male-dominated field of cricket.
Afia Amin — whose husband Adnan Rashid also officiates women matches — has performed her duties as an umpire in more than 150 official women’s matches.
In an interview with the Pakistan Cricket Board, the female umpire sheds light on why she chose the road less travelled.
Recalling a match 14 years ago, Afia Amin asked her husband why a male was officiating a women’s match, to which Rashid told her that it was due to lack of females umpires.
“It made me wonder why women cannot umpire matches when they can play?”, thought Afia Amin to herself at that time.
Amin said that she was into sports since her childhood but didn’t professionally pursue it because of her family’s reluctance.
“People from my family don’t venture into sports. I am the only person to have done this,” she said. “It is very difficult in our society for women to get into this field. There’s a lot of convincing that needs to be done,” stated Amin.
Afia Amin said that she prepared and eventually cleared her PCB exams and in 2006, she was umpiring a match – a semi-final between Abbottabad and Karachi at the Gaddafi Stadium, during a U16 regional tournament.
“One can learn more about umpiring by being in the field and officiating more and more matches. Our women umpires have all the necessary skills. They only need to be polished and that can be done by giving them more matches,” she opined.
Amin’s husband also helped her hone her skills in the field during her initial years. She now has her sight set on the women’s World Cup.
“I look up to Aleem Dar. He has made our nation proud with his achievements at the international level and I aim to do the same. I desire to officiate the ICC matches, the women World Cup matches. I look forward to that opportunity,” she said.