Lauren Agenbag
Lauren Agenbag (born 16 August 1996) is a South African cricket umpire.[1] Since February 2019, she has set several firsts in regards to women's umpiring in international and domestic cricket matches.[2]
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Centurion, South Africa | 16 August 1996
Role | Umpire |
Umpiring information | |
T20Is umpired | 7 (2022) |
WODIs umpired | 9 (2021–2022) |
WT20Is umpired | 51 (2019–2023) |
Source: Cricinfo, 21 February 2023 |
Career
On 1 February 2019, she stood in the opening Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town.[3][4] In doing so, she became the first South African woman to umpire a T20I match.[5] The International Cricket Council (ICC) does not have official records, but at the age of 22 years, she is also believed to be the youngest person to umpire in an international cricket fixture, since George Coulthard did so in Australia in January 1879.[5]
Cricket South Africa's Chief Executive, Thabang Moroe, praised Agenbag, saying "this is a very significant moment for umpiring in South Africa".[5] Dane van Niekerk, captain of South Africa's women's team also praised Agenbag, saying "she held her own and it's awesome to a see a woman out there doing really well".[6]
In May 2019, she was one of the on-field umpires for the final of the 2019 ICC Women's Qualifier Africa tournament, between Zimbabwe and Namibia.[7] The same month, the ICC named her as one of the eight women on the ICC Development Panel of Umpires.[8][9] 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.[10][11]
In September 2019, Cricket South Africa appointed her to their Reserve List Umpires Panel for the 2019–20 cricket season.[12] On 13 September 2019, Agenbag became the first woman to umpire in a senior men's provincial match, when she was one of the on-field umpires in the match between Eastern Province and KwaZulu-Natal Inland in the 2019–20 CSA Provincial T20 Cup.[13] On 17 October 2019, in the match between Gauteng and Boland in the 2019–20 CSA 3-Day Provincial Cup, Agenbag became the first woman to stand as an on-field umpire in a first-class cricket match in South Africa.[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] In January 2021, Agenbag umpired in her first Women's One Day International (WODI) matches, in all three fixtures between South Africa and Pakistan at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground.[16] In February 2022, she was named as one of the on-field umpires for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.[17][18] On 1 April 2022, the ICC named Agenbag as one of the on-field umpires for the final of the tournament,[19] and became the youngest umpire to officiate in a Cricket World Cup final.[20]
References
- "Lauren Agenbag". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- "Lauren Agenbag – A flag bearer for female umpires". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- "1st T20I, Sri Lanka Women tour of South Africa at Cape Town, Feb 1 2019". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- "Lauren Agenbag, the primary SA girl to umpire in a T20I". Latest News Today. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- "Lauren Agenbag, the first SA woman to umpire in a T20I". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- "Lauren Agenbag becomes the first SA Woman to umpire in a T20I". Women's CricZone. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- "Final, ICC Women's T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier at Harare, May 12 2019". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- "ICC welcomes first female match referee and boosts numbers on development panel". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "GS Lakshmi becomes first woman to be ICC match referee". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Match official appointments and squads announced for ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- "World first all-women umpiring panel to feature at ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- "Agenbag and Fritz break new ground for SA Cricket". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- "Double wins for Northerns, KZN Inland and Border". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- "Umpire Lauren Agenbag makes history in South Africa". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- "ICC announces Match Officials for all league matches". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- "Agenbag and Fritz make WODI impressions". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- "Eight women among 15 Match Officials named for ICC World Cup 2022". Women's CricZone. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- "Match officials chosen for ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- "Match Officials for Final confirmed". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- "Meet Lauren Agenbag – the youngest umpire to have officiated in a CWC Final". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 22 April 2022.