Agenbag to stand in SA20

Rising umpire, Lauren Agenbag (above), and match referee, Shandre Fritz, are some of the new additions announced in the 20 match officials presiding over the second season of the SA20 round-robin stage which begins in Gqeberha tomorrow.

The number of umpires has increased to 15 from the first season, with five match referees spread across the six iconic venues around South Africa.

The League’s commitment to promoting diversity across all levels of the game has been illustrated with the promotion of the first female, Agenbag, to the umpires’ panel for the second season.

Agenbag is a trailblazer in the umpiring world after the 26-yearold also became the first woman to be appointed to the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Elite Umpires Panel, whose officials oversee all senior provincial matches.

Her resume is well-decorated after also standing in an ICC Women’s World Cup final, officiating in the showpiece of the 2021 50-over women’s event in New Zealand between Australia and England.

In addition, Agenbag is also the youngest to have officiated an international match, after making her debut as a 22-year-old in a T20I between South Africa and Sri Lanka in 2019.

She will be joined by former ICC Umpire of the Year, Marais Erasmus, who officiated in the 2022 and 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup finals, as well as the 2019 Men’s World Cup final at Lord’s.

Among the match referees will also be former Proteas Women’s international, Shandre Fritz, who along with Agenbag, formed part of a historic first-ever all-female panel of match officials for the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup held in South Africa last year.

Other notable umpires on the list include Babalo “Babs” Gcuma, who was the first recipient of the Umpire Exchange Programme between the League and the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB), The Hundred.

The programme was designed to give rising umpires in both countries the opportunity to experience new environments to develop and expand their careers.