Cricket News: NZ vs SL match gets first female umpire in men's T20I

Kim Cotton of New Zealand made history by being the first female on-field umpire in a men's T20I Cricket between to regular Test-playing nations.

She accomplished this after officiating the second T20 between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on April 5 at Dunedin's University Oval.

For the second T20I, she shared on-field duties with fellow countryman Wayne Knights. Cotton, on the other hand, has refereed a men's international game before but not on-field.

She previously served as the third umpire during the drawn match between India and New Zealand in Hamilton in 2020.

Cotton previously set a record by becoming the first female to officiate a World Cup final when she entered the pitch for the 2020 ICC World T20 Final between Australia and India, which was hosted at the legendary Melbourne Cricket Ground.

She has also participated in three Women's T20 World Cups and one Women's ODI World Cup, as well as officiating three World Cup finals in 2020, 2022, and the recently finished 2023 T20 World Cup.

Since 2018, Cotton has officiated in 54 women's T20Is and 24 women's ODIs.

Previously, Claire Polosak of Australia became the first female match official for a men's game when she was selected the fourth umpire for the Sydney Test of the 2021-22 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Following a defeat in the first T20I, New Zealand handed it back to Sri Lanka, defeating the visitors by 9 wickets in the second T20I. After winning the toss, New Zealand chose to bowel first, which proved to be a wise decision.

Contrary to predictions, Sri Lanka failed to post a large total in the first innings, with the exception of Kushal Perera, Dhanajaya de Silva, and CharithAsalanka. De Silva led the way with 37 runs, while Perera and Asalanka added 35 and 24 respectively as Sri Lanka was finally swept out for 141. Fast bowler Adam Milne shone for New Zealand, scooping up a fifer while allowing only 26 runs in his allotted 4 overs.

Chasing 142, New Zealand got off to a flying start, with opener Chad Bowes hammering the Lankan spinners for seven fours off 15 deliveries, notching up a quick-fire 31 before succumbing to Kasun Rajitha.

Tim Seifert and Tom Latham then put up an unbeatable 106-run partnership, with Seifert doing the majority of the damage. Seifert hit three fours and six sixes in 43 deliveries for 79 runs at an excellent strike rate of 183.72.

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