Saleema Imtiaz breaks new ground as Pakistan first woman umpire on ICC International Development Panel

Saleema Imtiaz states, "I am incredibly grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for the priceless opportunities that helped me achieve this goal."

"The PCB's dedication to supporting the growth of women in cricket is reflected in this moment."

The digital interview with Saleema Imtiaz can be found here.

For the Pakistan-South Africa women's T20I series, Saleema and Nasir Hussain will serve as on-field umpires; Humairah Farah will serve as third umpire, while Javed Malik will serve as match referee.

The first Pakistani woman to be nominated to the ICC International Panel of Development Umpires is Saleema Imtiaz, according to a historic announcement made today by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). This esteemed nomination is a significant turning point in Pakistani cricket history as it entitles her to officiate women's bilateral international matches as well as ICC Women's Events.

Saleema started off as an umpire with the PCB Women's Umpires Panel in 2008. She is the mother of Pakistan women's international player Kainat Imtiaz. Her vast expertise includes officiating at prestigious events sponsored by the Asian Cricket Council, like the Hong Kong-based ACC Emerging Women's Cup in 2023 and the ACC Women's T20 Asia Cup in 2022 and 2024. She most recently competed in the ACC Women's Premier Cup 2024 in Kuala Lumpur as a member of the playing control team.

Saleema's elevation to the ICC panel solidifies her reputation as a pioneer in the field of sports.

Her first on-field assignment in a bilateral series is to officiate the opening match of the Pakistan-South Africa women's Twenty20 International series in Multan on Monday. In addition to Humairah Farah as the third umpire and Muhammad Javed Malik as the match referee from the PCB International Panel of Match Referees, she will be paired by Nasir Hussain of the PCB Elite Panel of Umpires.

Saleema Imtiaz not only breaks down boundaries but also creates a positive example for the next generation of professional female cricket players with her nomination to the ICC International Panel.

Saleema, who will celebrate turning 53 on December 18, 2024:

"Joining the ICC International Panel of Development Umpires makes me incredibly happy." I am incredibly appreciative of the Pakistan Cricket Board for providing me with the priceless chances that made this accomplishment possible.

"At the beginning of this new chapter, I feel as though all the hard work and sacrifices along the way have been worthwhile."

"This is a victory not only for me, but also for other Pakistani female cricket players and umpires who aspire to be like me. I hope that many women who aspire to become prominent figures in sports are inspired by my accomplishment. This occasion is a reflection of women's increasing impact in cricket and the PCB's dedication to supporting that growth. It is my earnest wish that more women will embrace this lovely game and walk in my shoes.

My personal goal has been to represent Pakistan internationally ever since Kainat made her debut for the nation in 2010. Even though the Asian Cricket Council has given me opportunities, my ultimate objective has always been to officiate at the top level. My current priorities are to compete to the best of my abilities in bilateral and ICC matches and establish myself as a trustworthy match official.

Following an annual evaluation procedure, the Pakistan Cricket Board has also approved match officials for the 2024–25 cricket season.

The ICC International Panel of Match Referees and Umpires has not changed, in response to criticism from the ICC, nor has the PCB Elite Panel of Match Referees.

From the PCB Supplementary Panel of Umpires, Ahmed Shahab, Khalid Mehmood Sr., Rana Muhammad Arshad, and Qaiser Waheed have been elevated to the PCB Elite Panel of Umpires. Shozab Raza, who is retiring on October 31st, will be replaced by Qaiser.

Anser Mahmood, Jamshid Iqbal, Naseer Ahmed, and Zeeshan Arif are the four umpires who will be elevated from the development panel to the supplementary panel. This promotion will take effect on November 1.

PCB International Panel of Match Referees: Muhammad Javed Malik (Multan), Ali Naqvi (Lahore)

Aleem Dar (Lahore), Asif Yaqoob (Islamabad), Faisal Khan Aafreedi (Sargodha), and Rashid Riaz Waqar (Lahore) comprise the PCB International Panel of Umpires.

ICC International Panel of Development Umpires: Saleema Imtiaz (Karachi)

PCB Elite Panel of Match Referees: Aleem Khan Moosa (Karachi), Athar Laiq (Karachi), Bilal Moinul Haq Khiljee (Lahore), Iftikhar Ahmed (Karachi), Kamran Chaudhry (Lahore), Muhammad Aslam (Quetta), Muhammad Iqbal Sheikh (Hyderabad), Nadeem Arshad (Faisalabad) and Sohail Idrees (Lahore)

PCB Elite Panel of Umpires: Abdul Moqeet (Lahore), Ahmed Shahab (Lahore), Aleem Dar (Lahore), Aley Haider (Karachi), Asif Yaqoob (Islamabad), Aslam Bareach (Quetta), Faisal Khan Aafreedi (Sargodha), Farooq Ali Khan (Abbottabad), Ghulam Sarwar (Sibi), Imran Jawed (Karachi), Imranullah Aslam (Bahawalpur), Kashif Sohail (Khanewal), Khalid Mehmood Sr. (Karachi), Majid Hussain (AJK), Muhammad Asif (Lahore), Muhammad Sajid (Charsadda), Nasir Hussain (Lahore), Qaiser Waheed (Lahore), Rana Muhammad Arshad (Faisalabad), Rashid Riaz Waqar (Lahore), Saqib Khan (Abbottabad), Shozab Raza (Lahore), Syed Imtiaz Iqbal (Karachi), Tariq Rasheed (Lahore), Waleed Yaqub (Lahore) and Zulfiqar Jan (Charsadda)

PCB Supplementary Panel of Match Referees: Abu-al-Hasnat Rao (Lahore), Ahmer Saeed (Karachi), Ali Gohar (Karachi), Fazal Akbar Shah (Peshawar), Ghulam Mustafa (Kasur), Inamullah Khan (Lahore), Muhammad Amiruddin Ansari (Karachi), Saman Zulfiqar (Sheikhupura), Samiul Haq (Faisalabad) and Sohail Khan (Lahore)

PCB Supplementary Panel of Umpires: Abdul Karim (Naseerabad), Ahmed Nadeem (Peshawar), Aqeel Aadil Khan (Karachi), Asif Farooq Awan (Gujranwala), Dilshad Ali (Multan), Haroon Malik (Sargodha), Hashim Ali (Lodhran), Hassan Mahmood (Lahore), Irfan Haider (Islamabad), Jamshid Iqbal (Peshawar), Kamran Khalil (Lahore), Muhammad Basit (Lahore), Muhammad Fayyaz (Peshawar), Muhammad Imran (Sargodha), Muhammad Irfan Dilshad (Lahore), Muhammad Kaleem (Lahore), Muhammad Waqas (Lahore), Naseer Ahmed (Chakwal), Qaiser Waheed (Lahore), Rafiq Ahmad (Dadu), Raza Asghar (Sheikhupura), Saleem Butt (Rawalpindi), Sultan Mahmood (Loralai), Syed Fahim Ahmed Bukhari (Karachi), Waqar Ahmed (Islamabad) and Zeeshan Arif (Mirpur, AJK)

PCB Development Panel of Umpires: Aamer Atta (Dera Ghazi Khan), Abdul Basit (Rawalpindi), Abdul Qayoom (Karachi), Abrar Ahmed (Kasur), Adnan Rashid (Lahore), Ajmal Khan (Swat), Anser Mahmood (Pattoki),  Asim Alvi (Karachi), Farooq Anwar Bajwa (Faisalabad), Farooq Jan (Charsadda), Furqan Butt (Lahore), Ghayyur Hussain (Peshawar), Hameed Khan (Quetta), Hidayatullah (Pishin), Imran Naseem (Okara), Jaffar Hussian (Peshawar), Khalid Mahmood Jr (Quetta), Khalid Younas (Kohat), Khalil Ahmad Siddiqi (Kasur), Maqbool Ahmed (Faisalabad), Mehtab Hussain (Rawalpindi), Muhammad Aamir Sharif (Kohat), Muhammad Arif (Dera Ismail Khan), Muhammad Asif Jr (Multan), Muhammad Imran Jr (Bahawalnagar), Muhammad Masood Afridi (Peshawar), Muhammad Shafiqul Hai (Dera Ismail Khan), Muhammad Yousaf (Dera Ghazi Khan), Mumtaz Ali (Loralai), Muneeb Ahsan (Attock), Munir Ahmed (Kasur), Naik Muhammad (Kohat), Nasar Khan (Mardan), Naveed Khan (Nowshehra), Noor ul Hakam (Buner), Raweed Khan (Charsadda), Sadiq Amin (Charsadda), Sagheer Ahmed (Lahore), Saifullah Khan (Sargodha), Shahid Aslam (Karachi), Shahid Naseem (Rawalpindi), Sheraz Ahmed Rajput (Lahore), Sohail Khan (Charssada), Sohail Zaman Khattak (Peshawar), Waqas Zeb (Lahore) and Waseemuddin (Kohat)

PCB Women’s Panel of Umpires: Afia Amin (Lahore), Ayesha Farooq (Lahore), Fakhira Kazim Syeda (Muzaffarabad), Humairah Farah (Lahore), Nazia Nazir (Lahore), Riffat Mustafa (Kasur), Sabahat Rasheed (Lahore), Saleema Imtiaz (Karachi), Sania Ashraf (Lahore), Shakila Rafiq (Kasur), Sukhan Faiz (Multan), Sumaira Sajid (Lahore) and Zakia Gul (Khairpur)