Sarah Dambanevana remembered as a pioneer for women in cricket officiating
The former Zimbabwe fast bowler became her country's first woman on the ICC Development Umpires Panel and officiated in 72 senior internationals.
The International Cricket Council has announced the death of former Zimbabwe cricketer and international umpire Sarah Dambanevana following a brief illness. She was 36.
Dambanevana first represented Zimbabwe as a fast bowler before moving into officiating. In 2022, she became the first woman from Zimbabwe to join the ICC Development Umpires Panel. Her first ICC tournament appointment followed at the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup in January 2023.
She made her international umpiring debut in a Kenya–Botswana women's T20I in September 2023 and later officiated at the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Across her career, she stood in 72 senior internationals: 10 men's T20Is, 14 women's ODIs and 48 women's T20Is.
Her final appointment came in February 2026 during the Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in Nepal. The milestones matter beyond a single career: they marked a visible route for more women to enter elite cricket officiating.