Here is all you need to know about Bangladeshi cricket umpire Shathira Jakir Jessy including her age, career, biography and more
It was an embarrassing event for Bangladeshi cricket when claims circulated that two clubs in the Dhaka Premier League protested over a female on-field umpire overseeing their play.
Officiating the Super League match between Mohammedan and Prime Bank on Thursday, April 25, alongside Moniruzzaman it was circulated that Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah declined to play under Shathira Jakir Jessy.
Who is Shathira Jakir Jessy first Bangladeshi female umpire in the DPL, biography, age and career
Shathira Jakir Jessy will be officiating the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka in July.
Emerging Asia Cup, Premier Cup, Australia & India series. Jessy is progressing steadily.#WomensCricket #WomensAsiaCup pic.twitter.com/ajzRjwkAK6
— Mazharul Islam Sayem (@mmash02) April 27, 2024
A well-known daily, Prothom Alo, claims that there were no objections raised regarding the umpire who became a member of the ICC umpire panel in March 2023, either before or during the match. Infact, the players have openly supported Jessy and shown gratitude to her for officiating, as have their individual clubs.
Rahim also gave his stance to Prothom Alo following the viral claims. He said:
Neither I nor any of our players have raised any questions or objections. I am rather delighted to see that a woman umpire has come this far and become an ICC panel umpire from our country. I also congratulated her for this.
Amid all this, cricket fans are curious to know who Shathira Jakir is so let us have a look
Who is Shathira Jakir?
Shathira Jakir is a Bangladeshi umpire and a former player who was born on November 30, 1990 in Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh.
A look at Shathira Jakir’s career
Shathira Jakir used to be a right-arm off break bowler. Between 2011 and 2013, she played one Twenty20 international and two One Day Internationals for Bangladesh.
The now 33-year-old who played domestic cricketer with Rangpur Division is the first female international umpire, having officiated nine international matches. In her debut ODI match, Jakir took on Ireland on November 26, 2011. She took part in her first Twenty20 international match against South Africa on September 15, 2013.
At the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, she was a member of the cricket team that won a silver medal against the Chinese national women’s team. After announcing to give up cricket as a player, she started working as a professional umpire two years ago.
Since no female umpire had ever officiated a game previously, her maiden DPL match was especially noteworthy. She had however worked as a fourth umpire in a previous match in the DPL this year.
She was named in the ICC development panel of umpires in March this year alongside three other female umpires from Bangladesh and in February she officiated in the ACC Women’s Premier Cup in Malaysia.