Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) the prestigious cricket club since 1814 is based at Lord’s Cricket Ground, which it owns. MCC awards Honorary Life Membership of the Club to some of the world’s finest cricketers. The latest set of women cricketers who have been bestowed with this privilege are England’s Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Pakistan’s Sana Mir, South Africa’s Lizelle Lee, Shabnim Ismail and Dane van Niekerk and West Indies’ Deandra Dottin.
Katherine Sciver-Brunt
Katherine Brunt has dedicated 19 years to England, showcasing her skills across all three formats. Her illustrious career includes 14 Tests where she claimed 51 wickets, 141 One Day Internationals (ODIs) with 170 wickets and 112 T20 Internationals where she collected 114 wickets.
Brunt has been a pivotal figure in England’s success, contributing to two World Cup victories (2009 and 2017) and one T20 World Cup triumph in 2009. She has been honoured as England Women’s Cricketer of the Year on four occasions and holds the joint record for the most LBW dismissals in Tests, tied with Jhulan Goswami at 18. In June 2022, she announced her retirement from Test cricket, followed by a retirement from all international cricket in May 2023, and ultimately retiring from all forms of cricket in August 2023.
Sana Mir
Sana Mir, a stalwart of Pakistan cricket, devoted 14 years to the international stage, excelling in both ODI and T20I formats. She showcased her bowling skills with 151 wickets in 120 ODIs and 89 wickets in 106 T20Is. Mir’s leadership was instrumental as she captained Pakistan in 137 matches, guiding them to two Gold medals at the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014.
Among her notable achievements, Mir was the first Pakistan bowler to claim 100 wickets in Women’s ODIs. Her career milestones include reaching the number 1 spot in the ICC ODI bowler rankings in October 2018, a historic feat for Pakistan women’s cricket. After announcing a break from international cricket in November 2019, Mir formally retired from the international scene on 25 April 2020.
Lizelle Lee
Lizelle Lee, a right-hand batter for South Africa from 2013 to 2022, had a notable international career. She featured in 2 Tests, accumulating 42 runs, 100 ODIs with 3315 runs, and 82 T20Is where she amassed 1896 runs.
Throughout her career, Lee scored 4 centuries and as many as 36 half-centuries, showcasing her proficiency with the bat. Her achievements were recognized in January 2022 when she was named the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year. Following this accolade, Lee announced her retirement from international cricket in July 2022.
Shabnim Ismail
In her illustrious 16-year international career representing South Africa, Shabnim Ismail left a mark on Cricket South Africa’s history. She played 1 Test, taking three wickets, participated in 127 ODIs, amassing 191 wickets, and featured in 113 T20Is, where she claimed 123 wickets.
Ismail holds the distinction of being South Africa’s all-time leading wicket-taker in both ODIs and T20Is. Renowned for her pace, she set a record for the fastest ball bowled by a female cricketer, clocking 132.1 kilometres per hour (82.1 mph) during the 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL). On 3 May 2023, Ismail announced her retirement from international cricket, marking the end of an era for South African cricket.
Dane van Niekerk
Dane van Niekerk, South Africa’s versatile cricketer and a highly regarded captain, represented the Proteas women’s team from 2009 to 2021 and served as captain from 2016 to 2021. In Test cricket, she scored 22 runs and took 1 wicket in her only appearance. From 107 One Day Internationals (ODIs), she accumulated 2175 runs and claimed 138 wickets. In 86 T20 Internationals (T20Is) matches, she scored 1877 runs and secured 65 wickets.
Van Niekerk notably recorded 1 century and 19 half-centuries during her international career. In January 2013, she made history as the first South African woman to achieve an international hat-trick. She also became South Africa’s first bowler to reach 100 wickets in Women’s ODIs. On 16 March 2023, she announced her retirement from international cricket.
Deandra Dottin
Deandra Dottin represented West Indies in ODIs and T20Is from 2008 to 2022, establishing herself as a formidable all-rounder. Her career spanned 143 ODIs, where she scored 3727 runs and took 72 wickets, and 127 T20Is, amassing 2697 runs and claiming 62 wickets. She achieved international milestones including 5 centuries and 34 half-centuries, along with 2 five-wicket hauls. Dottin notably scored her maiden century in Women’s Twenty20 Internationals in 2010.
In September 2020, during her final match against England, she became the first cricketer to smash 100 sixes in WT20Is. Her achievements were recognized when she was named the Women’s T20 International Cricketer of the Year at the Cricket West Indies’ Awards in June 2018. Dottin announced her retirement from international cricket in July 2022.