India's GS Lakshmi Set To Become 1st Female Match Referee To Officiate Men's ODI

Lakshmi's first assignment will be on December 8 when the UAE and the USA lock horns at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 opener

Adding a new chapter to the history book of the game, former India woman cricketer GS Lakshmi will become the first woman match referee to oversee a men's One-Day International match, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday. Lakshmi's first assignment will be on December 8 when the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America lock horns at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 opener. “It feels great, having anything assigned 'first' to your name gives me a sense of pride. This being a big ICC event it feels great to be officiating at this level,” ICC quoted Lakshmi as saying. Laxmi has so far overseen 16 men's T20Is and three women's ODIs in her career. She was a right-hand batswoman and a medium-fast bowler during her playing days. She represented several domestic teams including Andhra Women, Bihar Women, Railways Women among others. Lakshmi has also worled as a coach of the South Central Railways team until 2014 and had started refereeing in matches at the same time. ICC Men's WCL 2 Fixtures: 8 December: UAE v USA (Sharjah Cricket Stadium) 9 December: USA v Scotland (Sharjah Cricket Stadium) 11 December: UAE v Scotland (Sharjah Cricket Stadium) 12 December: UAE v USA (ICC Academy Oval 1) 14 December: USA v Scotland (ICC Academy Oval 1) 15 December: UAE v Scotland (ICC Academy Oval 1)