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‘It was a very proud moment for me’

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Lauren Agenbag

South African umpire Lauren Agenbag made history when she stood in last month’s Women’s World Cup final.

The 25-year-old, who was part of the first-ever four-women match official panel, became the youngest on-field umpire in the decider of a global showpiece.

“It’s something you work towards as an umpire and getting there was a very proud moment for me,” says Agenbag. “I had mixed feelings – nerves, a bit of excitement – but it was a very proud moment for me and one I will never forget.”

Agenbag, who grew up in Centurion, began umpiring in her late teenage years.

“In terms of transitioning from a player to an umpire, it was basically about starting to learn the laws of the game and attend meetings of what was then the Northerns Cricket Union Umpiring Association, now the Titans,” Agenbag says.

“It was all about attending meetings, training and getting to know the laws, and then you start off with your Level 1 exam. Once you have passed that, you start umpiring and from there, it’s just about umpiring and improving your qualifications by doing your Level 2 and Level 3 and then continue learning and making sure you are up to date with the laws.

“I really enjoyed the new environment that was totally different to playing, something that was challenging to me as a person; having to learn new things, going out of your comfort zone and having to adjust to the environment.

“Overall, it was an enjoyable transition and I have been enjoying umpiring ever since.”

In February 2019, Agenbag become the first South African woman to stand in an international cricket match when she oversaw the women’s T20I between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Newlands. Later that year, she was named on the CSA’s reserve list umpires panel.

Agenbag has already stood in 40 women’s international matches across T20 and 50-over cricket, including the T20 Women’s World Cup in 2019. She also became the country’s first female umpire to feature in a men’s first-class match that year (Central Gauteng Lions vs Boland).

Agenbag says she still has a lot more to do in the game.

“I try not to focus too far ahead. Right now, it’s about picking up on the areas that can be improved on and trying to improve those as best as I can.

“I would like to have the opportunity to stand in men’s international cricket one day, but it’s difficult to put a time frame on it.”

Agenbag is currently part of the umpires panel at the inaugural FairBreak Invitational in Dubai. It is the first privately-funded women’s tournament in association with Cricket Hong Kong and features players from over 30 countries.

“It’s a great experience,” she says. “It’s always nice to work with different cultures, religions and nationalities.

“With the players, the most interesting part is the language barrier and trying to get messages across to them. Sometimes it’s a bit difficult and you call on other players to try and get that message across if the player is not really understanding.

“But you work with the umpires a lot more than the players. It’s always interesting to see the different ways the different countries go about their umpiring and you can learn a couple of things about the way that they do it, which could be different from the way you do it back home.”

Photo: Twitter/@OfficialCSA