TV umpiring decisions under scrutiny at Women's World Cup 2025

Umpires duirng ongoing Women's ODI World Cup (Source: ICC)

Umpiring standards have come under the spotlight at the Women’s World Cup 2025, with several contentious decisions raising questions in the tournament’s first two-and-a-half weeks. Much of the debate has centered around the use of the Decision Review System (DRS), which remains sporadic in the women’s game. As a result, umpires’ familiarity and experience with DRS protocols have been closely examined.

One of the most notable incidents occurred in the match between England and Bangladesh. England captain Heather Knight was granted three reprieves, including a low catch by Bangladesh’s Shorna Akter. Chasing 179, Knight chipped legspinner Fahima Khatum to Shorna at cover when she was at 13. Although Knight was prepared to walk, TV umpire Gaythri Venugopalan ruled otherwise, citing inconclusive evidence.

Earlier in the match, another decision became controversial when a caught-behind call was overturned by the third umpire, who determined that the ball had hit Knight’s pad before reaching the wicketkeeper. These instances have intensified discussions around the consistency and accuracy of officiating in the tournament.

"I did the presentation that evening and I put it to Heather Knight, and she did not sit on the fence at all. She said, 'well, I thought it was out, I was walking off'. There were other lbw reviews as well and Heather said, 'I've never been out so many times in a cricket match.' She then got 60 or 70 not out [79 not out] to win the game, and that really hurts you,” Nasser Hussain, who is working as a broadcaster at the tournament, said on the JioStar pressroom as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Another notable incident occurred during the India-Pakistan match in Colombo involving Muneeba Ali’s run out. Initially, the TV umpire ruled her not out on the big screen, but the decision was later changed to out. TV umpire Kerrin Klaaste had not reviewed all available footage before the first ruling and adjusted the decision after further review, which revealed the run-out situation. Although the correct call was eventually made, the process caused significant confusion, prompting Muneeba and captain Fatima Sana to seek clarification from the fourth umpire at the boundary.

In India’s match against South Africa, a contentious not-out lbw decision against Sune Luus sparked debate. The third umpire, Candace la Borde, judged that a faint signal on UltraEdge indicated the ball had touched the bat, despite side-on replays showing a clear distance between the ball and bat at the time. Luus ultimately remained not out.

During the India-Australia game, a catch by Sneh Rana at point to dismiss Alyssa Healy was initially questioned. Third umpire Jacqueline Williams first indicated she saw the ball touch the ground but later revised her decision, ruling the catch clean.

"If you look at these replays enough, if you keep zooming in - I can't remember where I was, I might have been watching on the telly actually - there was another one of those the fingers and the hands get under the ball. The third umpire didn't ask for 15 different replays or whatever. She just looked at it, sort of, a couple of times, gut feel, fingers were under the ball, that's out. Which I always worry about when I am watching at home or on the air. If you keep looking, you will find things; you have to be meticulous,” said Hussain on Healy's dismissal.

Of the ten umpires assigned TV duties in this World Cup, only three have officiated as TV umpire in more than 20 ODIs with DRS available: Sue Redfern (42), Eloise Sheridan (25), and Kim Cotton (24). In contrast, three umpires, Candace la Borde, N Janani, and Sarah Dambanenava, had never previously served as a TV umpire in an ODI using DRS.

La Borde, notably, had never officiated as a third umpire in any international match with DRS, while Janani and Dambanenava had limited experience in T20Is. More broadly, five of the ten TV umpires had officiated in fewer than five internationals with DRS available. Along with Redfern, Sheridan, and Cotton, Gaythri Venugopalan and Kerrin Klaaste are also relatively inexperienced with DRS protocols.

This inexperience may help explain the unusually high rate of on-field decisions being overturned. In this World Cup, 25 on-field decisions were successfully overturned in 36 innings, a rate of 0.67 successful overturns per innings. By comparison, in the last Asia-based men’s ODI World Cup (2023), the rate was 0.46 per innings.

The ICC declined to comment on the umpires’ relative inexperience with DRS and did not reveal whether teams had formally raised concerns about officiating errors. ICC umpire manager Sean Easey has been present at several venues during the tournament.