Jhulan, Heather Knight, Morgan join MCC World Cricket Committee

LONDON: Legendary India fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, England women’s captain Heather Knight and 2019 Men’s ODI World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan have joined the MCC World Cricket Committee, said the Marylebone Cricket Club on Monday.

Jhulan, a Padma Shri, and Arjuna Awardee, is often regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the women’s game. She represented India in 12 Tests, 204 ODIs, and 68 T20Is from 2002 to 2022, picking 355 wickets across formats, the most by any bowler in women’s international cricket.

She also won the ICC Women's Player of the Year award in 2007 and rose to number one in the ICC Women's ODI bowling rankings in January 2016. Jhulan was also the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team from 2008 to 2011.

In ODIs, she picked 255 wickets, a record in women's international cricket. Jhulan played for India in five Women’s ODI World Cups – 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2022. She remains the leading wicket-taker in the history of the Women’s Cricket World Cups with 43 scalps and was made an Honorary Life Member of MCC in April this year.

Heather has captained England since 2016 and lifted the Women’s ODI World Cup at Lord’s only a year after taking on the role. The all-rounder has been one of the trailblazers for the women’s game in England, scoring over 5,000 international runs in white-ball cricket, and 705 runs in her ten Test matches.

Morgan captained England in both men’s ODI and T20 cricket with distinction and became one of the most respected and successful international skippers in the modern era. He also lifted the Men’s ODI World Cup trophy at the end of an unforgettable final against New Zealand in 2019, and was made an Honorary Life Member of MCC earlier this year.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jhulan, Heather and Eoin to the World Cricket committee. These are three players who have excelled at the very top of the international game and their knowledge of how the elite level of cricket works will be an advantage to the committee.”

“It is also important that we are growing the female representation on the committee with the growth that women’s cricket has enjoyed in recent years. Jhulan and Heather join Clare Connor and Suzie Bates who can all offer first-hand insight into the women’s game,” said Mike Gatting, Chair of the MCC World Cricket Committee.

MCC also said former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has stood down from the committee to concentrate on the final years of his playing career.

It added that the WCC will meet on Monday and Tuesday at Lord’s ahead of the second Men’s Ashes Test between England and Australia. Various outputs from the meeting will be communicated after the conclusion of the match.