Sri Lanka’s Dinusha Bandara has been appointed as an umpire to officiate the ongoing Women’s Big Bash League matches.
Bandara is the only member of STUP (State and Territory Umpire Panels) with Sri Lankan diaspora, who will officiate the ongoing Weber WBBL matches in this season. He will be also considered as a fourth umpire in KFC Big Bash League this season.
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Interestingly, 8 out of 35 members of State and Territory Umpire Panels (STUP) for the 2023/24 season announced by Cricket Australia has a South Asian family heritage. Apart from Bandara, the four STUP members hails from India while three come up with a Pakistan background.
Members of STUP with South Asian Family Heritage
Dinusha Bandara (Sri Lanka), Syed Humayun (Pakistan), Sharad Patel (India), Daval Bhatt (India), Harsimran Singh (India), Muhammad Qureshi (Pakistan), Gaurav Bawa (India), Ahmad Khan (Pakistan).
Alongside Premier Cricket commitments, members of respective STUPs will be appointed to officiate in Cricket Australia (CA) competitions including the Weber Women’s Big Bash League, Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL), Toyota Second XI, CA Underage National Championships and as Fourth Umpires in the KFC Big Bash League.
Additionally, six women have also been included in the panel (Claire Polosak, Eloise Sheridan, Clare Haysom, Lisa McCabe, Ashlee Gibbons and Kate Holloman). Haysom and Holloman have been named on the panel for the first time.
