Australia's Claire Polosak becomes first woman to umpire men's ODIs

Australia’s Claire Polosak become the first woman to umpire a men’s one-day international on Sunday when she officiated the final of the World Cricket League Division 2.

Polosak officiated the game between Namibia and Oman, who both secured ODI status after finishing in the top two positions of the table.

“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,” Polosak told ICC.

She added, “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 2017, Polosak became the first on-field female umpire to officiate a men’s domestic game in Australia.

The 31-year-old is also the first woman to officiate a final of the Women’s World T20 when she was appointed to the semi-final of the 2018 tournament, in the West Indies, between England and India.

Polosak holds the distinction of being one of two female umpires, along with Eloise Sheridan, who officiated together, for the first time, in a competitive game on Australian soil during the WBBL in 2018.