For the first time in the 233-year history of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) its president will not be a man but a woman. Former England women’s cricket team captain Clare Connor is set to replace Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara as the next President of MCC.
The 43-year-old Clare’s nomination was announced at the annual general meeting of MCC held via video conferencing on Wednesday.
In May 2020, in the wake of the ‘extraordinary circumstances’ arising due to COVID-19 pandemic, the MCC had decided to offer a second term to Kumar Sangakkara, who had become the first non-British president of MCC in October 2019. If Sangakkara’s second term is approved, Clare Connor is expected to enter the office in October 2021.
She will remain in office till October 2020.
Clare Connor will have an important part to play
The former all-rounder Clare Connor expressed her gratitude and excitement at her nomination as the President of the guardian of the Laws of the game.
“I am very happy to be nominated for the next Chairman of the MCC. Cricket has given me a lot and now this honor,” said Clare.
Sangakkara, who announced Clare’s nomination, said, “I am thrilled that Clare has accepted the invitation to become the next president of MCC.”
“The club has a significant role to play in cricket’s global appeal and with her influence, I am sure she will make a considerable contribution to MCC. With the extended lead-in time until she takes office, she will have an important part to play as President Designate,” the current President of MCC added.
Opportunity to play a part in helping MCC thrive
Clare Connor, who is currently serving as the Managing Director of women’s cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), recalled her first visit to the Lord’s as nine-year-old and acknowledged the change it gender norms at the Lord’s.
“We often need to look back to see how far we’ve come. I made my first visit to Lord’s as a starry-eyed, cricket-obsessed nine-year-old girl at a time when women were not welcome in the Long Room. Times have changed. Now I find myself entrusted with this remarkable opportunity, the opportunity to play a part in helping MCC, cricket’s most influential club, to thrive and grow in an even more modern and inclusive future.
“MCC does wonderful work for communities in the UK and overseas. It stages the most uplifting events. It brings people together. And as we take small steps to emerge from this uncertain and difficult time, we are going to need the power of sport and strong sporting organizations like the MCC more than ever. I really am very proud to have been asked to be its next president,” added Connor.
Clare Connor has played 93 ODI international matches and 16 Tests for England. The all-rounder scored 502 runs in Tests and 1087 runs in ODIs and scalped 24 wickets in Tests and 80 wickets in ODIs.