Saleema Imtiaz has become the first Pakistani woman to be appointed to the ICC International Panel of development umpires, the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed. The move marks a historic landmark in the women's sport in Pakistan. Imtiaz will now be able to officiate in the women's bilateral international matches and ICC women's events.
Saleema is the mother of Pakistan women's cricketer Kainat Imtiaz, who has played 40 International matches for the Women in Green. She has experience of officiating in major events under the Asian Cricket Council such as the 2022 and 2024 ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and the 2023 ACC Emerging Women’s Cup in Hong Kong.
"Her first on-field appointment in a bilateral series will see her officiate the Pakistan-South Africa women’s T20I series in Multan, which begins on Monday. She will be partnered by Faisal Aafreedi from the PCB International Panel of Umpires with Nasir Hussain as TV umpire, while Humairah Farah will serve as the fourth umpire and Muhammad Javed Malik from the PCB International Panel of Match Referees will oversee the series as match referee," the PCB said in a statement.
The 52-year-old Saleema expressed her gratitude for this development. "I am beyond thrilled to join the ICC International Panel of Development Umpires. I owe immense gratitude to the Pakistan Cricket Board for the invaluable opportunities that paved the way for this achievement.
"The journey has been filled with hard work and personal sacrifices, but now, standing at the cusp of this new chapter, it all feels worth it," she said.
"This isn’t just a win for me – it’s a win for every aspiring female cricketer and umpire in Pakistan. I hope my success motivates countless women who dream of making their mark in the sport. This moment reflects the growing influence of women in cricket and the PCB’s commitment to fostering that development. I sincerely hope to see more women follow in my footsteps and embrace this beautiful game.
“Ever since Kainat made her debut for Pakistan in 2010, my own dream has been to represent my country at an international level. While I’ve had opportunities with the Asian Cricket Council, officiating at the highest level has always been the ultimate goal. I’m now focused on performing to the best of my abilities in both bilateral and ICC matches, and building my reputation as a reliable and respected match official," she added.
Notably, the Pakistan Board also confirmed the match officials for the 2024-25 cricket season. The Board has made no change to the PCB Elite Panel of the match referees and there is no change to the ICC International Panel of Match Referees and Umpires.
"Ahmed Shahab, Khalid Mehmood Sr., Rana Muhammad Arshad and Qaiser Waheed have been promoted to the PCB Elite Panel of Umpires from the PCB Supplementary Panel of Umpires. Qaiser will replace Shozab Raza, who will retire on 31 October.
The four umpires to be promoted from the development panel to the supplementary panel are: Anser Mahmood (with effect from 1 November), Jamshid Iqbal, Naseer Ahmed and Zeeshan Arif," the PCB said.
