For this only Indian woman umpire, cricket is lifeline
LUCKNOW : Shivani Mishra eats, sleeps, and breathes cricket. The only Indian woman umpire, Shivani watches the game intently and gives tips to aspiring umpires when she is not officiating. This helps her stay connected with the game and its developments around the world.
Shivani has been selected in the international panel of the ICC’s ‘development umpires’, thus making her the first woman from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to achieve this feat.
The 46-year-old, who hails from Basti, has a bright chance of making it to the ICC’s international panel of umpires during her second stint at Qatar, where she is staying since 2011 as recently she has been inducted in international panel of the ICC development umpires.
“It’s a dream come true. For aspiring umpires from Associate and Affiliate nations, this is the route to success. I am proud to be the first from Asia even though there are seven women in the panel,” said Shivani. “I can feel how big this achievement is.”
Shivani fell in love with cricket when she was a child. Coming from a joint family, she started playing cricket with her brothers and cousins even before she could hold the bat.
“Though my hero was Sunil Gavaskar, I developed a liking for pace bowling. With time, I learnt to coach, officiate and teach umpiring rules,” she said, adding, “I regularly teach aspiring coaches and umpires. I also assist visiting instructors during coaching and umpiring courses. I can’t imagine myself doing anything other than cricket. In my spare time, I watch and read about cricket.”
A sports teacher at the Pearl School in Doha, Shivani said that playing serious cricket living in a place like Basti --- that too three decades ago --- was too farfetched.
“I never lost my passion for the game even though I couldn’t play serious cricket.”
Shivani, who got a rare opportunity to officiate in the qualifying tournament for the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in 2020 in Australia, and the Asia Qualifiers in Kuwait last year, was also on the list of umpires for the ACC Western Region T20 Men’s 5-Nation Championship at Oman.
“For me, every opportunity is big and I never hesitate to take up challenges in life.”
While residing in Qatar, she never formally approached the BCCI, but now with her inclusion in the ICC ‘development panel’, she is ready to officiate anywhere in the world.
“I love to be as close to perfection as possible irrespective of the level at which I am umpiring. With the emergence of new technology like DRS, there is no scope for human error,” she said.
“There are thousands of experts sitting in their living rooms passing judgement by watching the ball in slow motion. Compare this to what an umpire actually sees in a fraction of a second in the noise of the stadium. It is not possible to beat technology; still one should try to be as accurate as possible.”
Shivani feels officiating a men’s matches is not that difficult a job as is being made out. “Not for me, at least. I enjoy every bit of it. What matters is how well you watch the game and how well you judge it. The challenge is the same in men’s and women’s matches.”