Claire Polosak

Claire Polosak
Personal information
Full name
Claire Antonia Polosak
Born (1988-04-07) 7 April 1988 (age 36)
Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia
RoleUmpire
Umpiring information
ODIs umpired1 (2019)
T20Is umpired12 (2022)
WTests umpired2 (2021–2024)
WODIs umpired40 (2016–2025)
WT20Is umpired65 (2015–2025)
Source: ESPN Cricinfo, 7 February 2024

Claire Antonia Polosak (born 7 April 1988) is an Australian cricket umpire.[1][2] Polosak is a school teacher by profession.[3] She was one of the four female umpires named by the ICC to stand in matches in the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.[4]

Career

On 8 October 2017, she became the first woman to stand as an on-field umpire in a men's domestic fixture in Australia, in the match between New South Wales and Cricket Australia XI in the 2017–18 JLT One-Day Cup.[5][6] On 11 January 2018, she became the first woman to umpire a match involving the England men's cricket team, when she stood in a one-day warm up match between England and a Cricket Australia XI.[7]

She was one of the twelve on-field umpires for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20.[8] She was also one of the eight on-field umpires for the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Namibia.[9] She was appointed as one of the on-field umpires for the final, becoming the first woman to stand in a men's One Day International (ODI) match.[10][11] In May 2019, the International Cricket Council named her as one of the eight women on the ICC Development Panel of Umpires.[12][13] In August 2019, she was named as one of the umpires to officiate in matches during the 2019 ICC Women's World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament in Scotland.[14] In February 2020, the ICC named her as one of the umpires to officiate in matches during the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.[15]

On 28 November 2020, Polosak and Eloise Sheridan were the on-field umpires for the final of the 2020–21 Women's Big Bash League season, the first time two female umpires officiated in a national final.[16] She became the first female to be involved as an umpire in a men’s Test match in January 2021, when she was the fourth umpire in the third Test on India's tour to Australia in 2020–21.[17][18]

In February 2022, she was named as one of the on-field umpires for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.[19][20] On 9 September 2022, she stood in her first Twenty20 International (T20I) match on 9 September 2022, between Cook Islands and Samoa.[21]

On 15 November 2023 Polosak became the first woman to umpire along with Eloise Sheridan, a Sheffield Shield match when she officiated in the match between Western Australia and South Australia at the WACA Ground.[22][23]

In September 2024 she was named as part of an all-female officiating group for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Claire Polosak". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  2. ^ Claire Polosak at CricketArchive (subscription required)
  3. ^ "Female umpires to stand in Women's World T20". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Four female officials appointed for next month's ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier in Colombo". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 28 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Polosak set to become first female umpire in domestic men's game". ESPN Cricinfo. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Claire Polosak makes umpiring history by standing in men's match". BBC Sport. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  7. ^ Hoult, Nick (12 January 2018). "Female umpire Claire Polosak makes history once again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  8. ^ "11th team for next month's ICC Women's World T20 revealed". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  9. ^ "All to play for in last ever World Cricket League tournament". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Claire Polosak to become first female umpire in men's ODI". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Claire Polosak to make history as first female umpire in a men's ODI". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  12. ^ "ICC welcomes first female match referee and boosts numbers on development panel". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  13. ^ "GS Lakshmi becomes first woman to be ICC match referee". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  14. ^ "Match official appointments and squads announced for ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  15. ^ "ICC announces Match Officials for all league matches". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Five NSWCUSA Members Appointed to WBBL06 Final". New South Wales Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  17. ^ "India vs Australia: Claire Polosak set to become first female match official in men's Test match". Hindustan Times. 6 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Claire Polosak becomes first woman to officiate in a men's Test in its 144-year history". ESPNcricinfo. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Eight women among 15 Match Officials named for ICC World Cup 2022". Women's CricZone. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  20. ^ "Match officials chosen for ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  21. ^ "2nd Match, Port Vila, September 09, 2022, ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Region Qualifier A". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  22. ^ Gates, Zachary (18 October 2023). "'Break down barriers': Two female umpires to create history in Australian cricket". WWOS. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Female umpires Polosak and Sheridan to break new ground in Sheffield Shield". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  24. ^ "All-female panel of match officials announced for Women's T20 World Cup 2024". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 3 October 2024.