Aussie trio scale new umpiring heights

Former Australian Test fast bowler Paul Wilson will stand in his first Test match next month while leading female umpires Claire Polosak and Eloise Sheridan continue to blaze a trail in the sport.

Wilson will become Australia's 90th umpire to reach the pinnacle of the sport for officials and stand in a Test match when he takes the field for the one-off Bangladesh v Afghanistan Test match in Chittagong next week.

He's already umpired 28 ODI matches and 11 T20 internationals. He earned a Baggy Green playing one Test for Australia in Kolkata in 1998.

"The past 21 years since that match in Kolkata have gone by very fast," Wilson said ahead of his debut match alongside Englishman Nigel Llong.

Image Id: 69078511E5AC4473AC0B8EFD8F3F6C5A Image Caption: Paul 'Blocker' Wilson in action for WA in 2003 // Getty

"I'm looking forward to getting out there and enjoying some quality red-ball cricket. Test matches are the pinnacle of our game and it is a privilege to be joining a select group of people to have officiated at this level.

"It is also a great thrill to join Paul Reiffel as one of a handful of people to have played and now umpire at Test level."

Wilson was last summer awarded CA's Umpire Award as the game's best official for the second successive year.

Polosak and Sheridan are two of six women appointed to an all-female umpiring panel for the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier tournament in Scotland.

Image Id: 2B44D581C65F452188532AB9E2CD3FCE Image Caption: Claire Polosak and Eloise Sheridan // Getty

Polasak and Sheridan will be joined on the panel by Jacqueline Williams, Sue Redfern, Kim Cotton and Lauren Agenbach all from the ICC Development Panel of Umpires.

The qualifying tournament commences on August 31 and will see eight teams compete for two places at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 to be held in Australia.

The appointment marks the latest milestone for Polosak and Sheridan, who have blazed a trail for female umpires among the elite levels of the game.

"To have an all-female umpiring team at an ICC event for the first time is really exciting," Polosak said.

"It shows female umpires across the world are making the most of their opportunities which ensures the officiating family continues to get stronger."

Last year's Rebel Women's Big Bash League season saw the pair make history as the first female umpiring duo to officiate a professional fixture on Australian soil.

On top of that, Polosak has also made strides in the men's game – last year becoming the first woman to umpire a men's One Day International in Namibia.

Sheridan was the first female umpire to be appointed to the South Australian State Umpire Panel, having decided to take up officiating to remain involved in the game after her playing career ended.

The pair will be on-field umpires for four fixtures each throughout the tournament, including the match between Thailand and Namibia which they will officiate together.