First Zimbabwean’s ICC World Cup umpire Sarah Dambanevana dies at 36

**HARARE-(MaraviPost)-**Sarah Dambanevana, the first Zimbabwean ever to umpire at an International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, has died in Harare.

She was 36.

Dambanevana had been in hospital since undergoing a medical procedure in March, Zimbabwe Cricket said.

Her journey was unique. A former fast bowler for the Zimbabwe Women’s team between 2009 and 2014, she played at the 2011 World Cup Qualifier before trading her playing boots for the white coat.

After joining the ICC Development Panel in 2022, she rose faster than any Zimbabwean official before her, eventually officiating 63 senior internationals across women’s and men’s cricket.

Her landmark moment came in January 2023 at the first ever Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup final between India and England in South Africa, where she became the first Zimbabwean woman to umpire a World Cup final.

She went on to make history again and again – first Zimbabwean woman to stand in a first-class Logan Cup match in February 2024, and a member of the historic all-female officiating panels at the Women’s T20 World Cup in UAE in 2024 and the Women’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2025.

ZC Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said the country had lost a trailblazer who opened doors for young women.

“We are devastated. To lose her at just 36, with so much still ahead of her, is heartbreaking,” he said.

“She showed young Zimbabwean women that they belong at the highest levels of the game, including in roles where opportunities had long been limited.”

Dambanevana made her senior international debut in September 2023 in Gaborone and her men’s T20I debut in Windhoek two months later.

Funeral details will be announced by the family.

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