Who Is Kim Cotton? First Female Empire To Officiate Men's T20 International

Kim Cotton of New Zealand made history by being the first female umpire in a men's T20I between two full-time Test-playing nations. The umpire has officiated in 16 women's one-day internationals and 44 T20s since 2018.

In February, Cotton officiated the Women's T20 World Cup final against Australia and South Africa. She also represented New Zealand in the second T20 against Sri Lanka on Wednesday in Dunedin.

Kim Cotton has officiated men's games before. She had previously served as the third umpire during the drawn match between India and New Zealand in Hamilton in 2020. She was joined on the pitch by fellow countryman Wayne Knights for the second T20I.

She has also served as the referee for three World Cup finals in 2020 and 2022 and the recently finished 2023 T20 World Cup.

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Who Is Kim Cotton?

• The 45-year-old cricket umpire and embodiment of women empowerment has already officiated in 16 women's one-day internationals and 44 women's Twenty20 Internationals as well.
• In February, Kim Cotton served as an on-field umpire for both the 2022 Women's World Cup (50-over) and the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup finals.
• Cotton, a lawyer by trade, will line up opposite Pakistan's Ahsan Raza in the International Women's Day match between defending champions Australia and first-time finalists India.
• Kim Cotton will make history when she joins John Dempsey in the middle to oversee the Women's Super Smash final at Eden Park Outer Oval on Sunday.
• It will be the first time a female official has presided over a domestic Twenty20 final.
• Cotton, who umpired at the ICC Women's World T20 in November and was the first female TV umpire in a men's senior T20 competition last weekend in Canterbury-Central Districts, sees the appointment as just another step in her meteoric climb in the game.
• Cotton does not believe she has been subjected to more scrutiny because of her gender. She said, "The players test you just like any other umpire - they're just interested in making the right judgments, and that's what we want as well"