With the four-match Test series between India and Australia tied at 1-1, the third match in Sydney tomorrow is expected to be a riveting affair. It will also be the first men's Test match to have a female official. Australia’s Claire Polosak will be the fourth umpire in the Sydney Test.
The 32-year-old already has the credit of becoming the first female match official in men’s ODI. She plied her role in a match in ICC’s Division 2 league, which was played between Namibia and Oman at Windhoek in 2019. The on-field umpires in the third Test will be Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson, and the TV umpire would be Bruce Oxenford. The match referee charge would be shouldered by David Boon of Australia.
According to the rules of ICC, the fourth umpire role is given by the home cricket board among their nominees from the international panel. The panel consists of ICC umpires from the host nation. Polosak is a resident of New South Wales’ Goulburn city and also has the distinction of being the first female match official in men’s List A game in her country.
The duties of a fourth umpire include bringing on the new ball, carrying drinks on to the field for the umpires, checking the batteries in the light meter, observing the pitch during the lunch and tea intervals to make sure there is no interference, and bringing on new bails. The fourth umpire can also take over the third umpire’s position if something happens to one of the on-field umpires, in which case the third umpire takes over on-field duties.
(With PTI inputs)
