Kiwi Kathy Cross first woman umpire to be appointed into elite ICC panel

A New Zealand female umpire has reportedly become the first woman to be appointed to an elite International Cricket Council (ICC) umpiring panel.

Newly minted member of the Associate and Affiliate panel Kathy Cross, who has earned credit for her calm demeanour and sound judgment, will currently be standing in the last day of a domestic Pearce Cup match, although an overseas assignment will be announced shortly.

According to Stuff.co.nz, Cross, who had women's World Cup appointments in Australia, India, Bangladesh and Ireland, said that although she is flattered by her ICC appointment, she is not motivated by personal achievement as she loves the game of cricket.

Cross quickly won the respect of everyone with the quality of her decision-making despite the challenges in coming into a very masculine domain, and she said that she is happy to do her best with umpiring despite her gender.

Cross also said that she would be responsible for the decisions that she makes and believes that players should be responsible for the decisions they make on the field as well.