Meet Anna Harris: The 24-Year-Old Umpire Making History In ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Anna Harris became the second youngest umpire to officiate in a major ICC tournament when she took the field during the 2023 T20 Women's World Cup encounter between Sri Lanka and South Africa in Cape Town. South Africa's Lauren Agenbag is still the youngest after she umpired during T20 WC 2020. The British umpire was part of the all-female panel which was picked for the competition and during the match on Friday, 17 on-field players were older than her. Anna Harris, who is currently studying medicine and working as a healthcare worker, also became the youngest ever umpire to officiate in an international match at the age of 22 back in 2021. 

Harris was joined by Yvonne Dolphin-Cooper in an ECB Premier League match in May 2021 - the first time when two women officials were on field for a match. During a recent interview, the 24-year-old made it clear that the use of two women officials need to be normalised on the cricket field. 

While this was a remarkable accomplishment, Harris notes: "The main response from people when Yvonne and I were standing together was 'well why hasn't it happened sooner? Why are we making such a big deal out of two women standing together. It should be normal'," she told NationalWorld. 

"Attitudes are shifting and that is the biggest step. It's about making some brave decisions and I think we've got the right people in the organisation to now make some brave decisions." 

"I'm excited to meet Meg Lanning. She's been an inspiration for me and for many - she's just all class," Harris added. 

Topics mentioned in this article

Sri Lanka Women South Africa Women ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 Cricket