Saleema Imtiaz has made history as the first Pakistani woman to be nominated to the ICC International Panel of Development Umpires. This achievement allows her to officiate in international women’s cricket matches and ICC Women’s events.
Imtiaz, who is also the mother of Pakistan women’s player Kainat Imtiaz, started her umpiring career with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Women’s Umpires Panel in 2008. She has gained extensive experience by officiating in major events like the 2022 and 2024 ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and the 2023 ACC Emerging Women’s Cup in Hong Kong. Most recently, she was part of the team for the ACC Women’s Premier Cup 2024 in Kuala Lumpur.
As part of her new role, Imtiaz will umpire the upcoming Pakistan-South Africa women’s T20I series in Multan, starting on Monday. She will be joined by Faisal Aafreedi from the PCB International Panel of Umpires, Nasir Hussain as the TV umpire, Humairah Farah as the fourth umpire, and Muhammad Javed Malik as the match referee.
Imtiaz expressed her excitement about the achievement, saying, “The journey has been full of hard work and sacrifices, but it feels worth it.” She hopes her success will inspire other women to follow their dreams in cricket and highlights that this milestone is a win for all aspiring female cricketers and umpires in Pakistan.
