The Marylebone Cricket Club’s World Cricket Committee was established in the year 2006. It is an independent body that involves current and former international cricketers, umpires, and officials from across the world. The whole purpose of establishing the World Cricket Committee was to conduct research, particularly into technological advancements and the biomechanical elements of the game.
Stephen Fry a multi-talented personality was appointed the president on 1st October 2022 and will be serving as the president till the end of his 1-year tenure. The legendary pacer in Women’s cricket for India Jhulan Goswami joins the list as an honorary life member with the MCC, alongside the likes of former players like Anjum Chopra, Diana Edulji, Mithali Raj, etc. Jhulan Goswami’s last international appearance came in an ODI against England on 24th September 2022. She had a good game with the ball as she picked up two wickets giving away just 30 runs in her 10-over spell.
🏏 @JhulanG10, @Heatherknight55 and @Eoin16 have all accepted invitations to join the MCC World Cricket committee.
The committee will meet today and tomorrow at @HomeOfCricket.#CricketTwitter
— Marylebone Cricket Club (@MCCOfficial) June 26, 2023
She made a name for herself as a prominent wicket-taker for the women in blue across all the formats, especially in the ODI format, after first bursting onto the scene as a young, rookie pacer with fierce pace in her armory. She was one of the fastest bowlers in the Women’s game at one point in time, especially during her prime years in international cricket. Apart from being the lead bowler in the attack, she is more than just a handy batter, playing the role of a pinch hitter at times with the bat in hand.
What an honour for the legendary 🇮🇳 Indian cricketer Jhulan Goswami!! 🙌🏻👏🏻#CricketTwitter 📸 @JhulanG10 pic.twitter.com/vVPKskVWbG
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 28, 2023
Jhulan was her partner at the other end when the duo was involved in a crucial 157-run partnership en route to Mithali Raj’s record-breaking innings of 214 against England at Tautan where she chipped in with a useful half-century, showcasing her prowess with the bat, in what was a memorable Test match for India.
The 2006 tour to England was one of the most memorable tours of her career. She was named as the vice-captain of the side, scored a half-century in the first innings coming in as a night-watchman, and also picked up 5 wickets in a drawn Test match. In the 2nd Test match, she picked up her career-best figures of 10/78, on the back of a 5-wicket haul in both innings, helping India record their first victory against England.
The England allrounder Heather Knight was another player to have joined the Elite list of life members with the MCC, joining the likes of Charlotte Edwards, Isa Guha, and Sarah Taylor, from England who has already been awarded the life membership. Heather Knight has been one of the prominent match winners for England over the years. She took over the leadership role for the England side after former England player Charlotte Edwards stepped down from captaincy in the year 2016.
She led England to a memorable World Cup title in the Women’s ODI World Cup in the year 2017 in England by beating India in the Final. She is currently leading the England women’s side in the ongoing Ashes on home soil. England suffered a defeat in the one-off Test match. The Heather Knight-led England side will be looking to make a bounce back in the limited-overs series kickstarting with the 3-match T20I series from 1st July, followed by the 3-match ODI series from 12th July.
The former England men’s team captain Eoin Morgan has also been awarded a life membership with the MCC. He completely changed the way England played their brand of cricket during his leadership tenure. He is one of the highly regarded personalities as a leader.