Pakistan's Saleema Imtiaz becomes first woman umpire on ICC International Development panel

JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced a landmark moment in Pakistan’s cricket history as Saleema Imtiaz becomes the first Pakistani woman to be nominated to the prestigious ICC International Panel of Development Umpires.

This nomination enables her to officiate women’s bilateral international matches and ICC Women’s Events, marking a significant milestone for women's cricket in Pakistan.

Saleema, the mother of Pakistan women’s international player Kainat Imtiaz, embarked on her umpiring career in 2008 as part of the PCB Women’s Umpires Panel. She has officiated several high-profile events, including the 2022 and 2024 ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cups and the 2023 ACC Emerging Women’s Cup. Most recently, Saleema was part of the playing control team for the ACC Women’s Premier Cup 2024 in Kuala Lumpur.

Her debut in the ICC panel will take place in the upcoming Pakistan-South Africa women’s T20I series in Multan, beginning Monday. Faisal Aafreedi from the PCB International Panel of Umpires will join her, while Nasir Hussain will serve as TV umpire, and Humairah Farah as the fourth umpire. Muhammad Javed Malik from the PCB International Panel of Match Referees will oversee the series.

Expressing her excitement, Saleema stated: “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."

Saleema also reflected on her journey, filled with challenges and sacrifices, but noted that it was worth the effort:

“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. 

“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.”

As she turns 53 in December, Saleema remains focused on excelling in her new role, representing Pakistan on the international stage alongside her daughter, Kainat Imtiaz, who made her debut for Pakistan in 2010.

The PCB also announced several updates to its officiating panels for the 2024-25 season, promoting Ahmed Shahab, Khalid Mehmood Sr., Rana Muhammad Arshad, and Qaiser Waheed to the PCB Elite Panel of Umpires. Meanwhile, Anser Mahmood, Jamshid Iqbal, Naseer Ahmed, and Zeeshan Arif were promoted from the development panel to the supplementary panel.

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

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

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)