Women's World Cup 2025: Shathira Jakir Jessy to become first Bangladeshi woman umpire to officiate at major ICC event

Women's World Cup 2025: Shathira Jakir Jessy to become first Bangladeshi woman umpire to officiate at major ICC event (Source: X)

Shathira Jakir Jessy is set to mark history by becoming the first Bangladeshi woman umpire to officiate in a senior World Cup. The 34-year-old will reach the commendable feat at the upcoming Women's World Cup which will be held in India, starting in September 2025. Jessy felt her previous performances in the recent past were the reason she was unexpectedly shortlisted as one of the umpires to officiate in the upcoming mega event. 

The former international cricketer, who has played three international games (two ODIs and one T20I) for Bangladesh Women, has previously officiated at numerous renowned events like the Under-19 Asia Cup, the Under-19 T20 World Cup in Malaysia, and the Women's ODI World Cup Qualifiers earlier this year in Pakistan. She was one of the umpires during Bangladesh Emerging Team's home series against South Africa. 

"I had been waiting for this for so long – finally, the opportunity to officiate in the World Cup has come. I had hoped for a chance in the T20 World Cup, but that didn’t happen. God had something greater (the ODI World Cup) planned for me. I never even thought about it, I didn't even hope to get the opportunity this time. The last few series, the Under-19 World Cup, the World Cup qualifiers in Pakistan – all went really well. My performances were good, and maybe that's why I got this opportunity," shared Jessy while speaking to T Sports in an interview.

Jessy will join Sharfuddoula Saikat (the person who officiated in five matches of the 2023 World Cup in India) in this prestigious list. This will the first time for Jessy to showcase her umpiring skills on the world stage. She seemed to be excited about the wonderful opportunity. 

The Bangladesh Women will be making their second successive appearance at the World Cup. They are scheduled to get their campaign underway on October 2 with a clash against Pakistan Women in Colombo.