A minute’s silence was observed before the first India Women vs Zimbabwe Women T20I in Raipur on 16 October 2026 in memory of Sarah Dambanevana, Sports Digest reported.
Who she was
Dambanevana was a former Zimbabwe international cricketer who became an umpire. She died on 12 October 2026 at the age of 36 in a hospital in Harare, after complications from a procedure she had undergone in March 2026.
Her umpiring career
She was the first Zimbabwean woman to officiate in a World Cup final, at the 2023 ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. She was also on the officiating panel for the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
The tribute
The silence was held before the national anthems of both countries, as players and match officials remembered her contribution to cricket.
Details are as reported by Sports Digest.
Image: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur (file photo). Photo by MohitSingh, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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