Malcolm and Headley, both former England seamers, join Will Smith, Alec Swann and Simon Hinks on a supplementary panel ahead of a busy period of domestic cricket
Devon Malcolm and Dean Headley have been appointed to the ECB’s panel of match referees as the governing body pushes for greater diversity among its match officials.
It was revealed last year by ESPNcricinfo that ex-umpire John Holder had called for an inquiry after it became known that the ECB had not appointed a non-white match official to its first-class list for almost three decades.
Malcolm and Headley, both former England seamers, join Will Smith, Alec Swann and Simon Hinks on a supplementary panel ahead of a busy period of domestic cricket, including the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, the Women’s Regional T20, the T20 Blast and the Royal London Cup.
Sue Laister has also been appointed to match referee Saturday’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy match between Northern Diamonds and Central Sparks at Emerald Headingley, in the process becoming the first female match referee of a professional domestic match in England and Wales.
ECB managing director of county cricket Neil Snowball said: “I am delighted to announce these appointments as we look to develop, expand and diversify our group of officials.
“Sue Laister will make history when she becomes the first female Referee this weekend and our five new appointments to the supplementary panel bring a further wealth of experience to benefit the men’s and women’s game.”