Isa Guha
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Isa Tara Guha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England | 21 May 1985|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side |
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Test debut (cap 137) | 14 August 2002 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 22 January 2011 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI debut (cap 94) | 10 August 2001 v Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 21 October 2011 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI shirt no. | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T20I debut (cap 5) | 5 August 2004 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last T20I | 29 October 2011 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998–1999 | Thames Valley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000–2014 | Berkshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 7 March 2021 |
Isa Tara Guha (born 21 May 1985) is a British sports television commentator and radio cricket broadcaster, and a former England cricketer who played in the 2005 South Africa World Cup and the 2009 Australia World Cup.[1]
Guha cites winning the World Cup in 2009 as her playing career highlight.[2] As a right-arm medium bowler and right-handed batter, she represented England in 8 Test matches, 83 One Day Internationals and 22 Twenty20 Internationals between 2001 and 2011.[3] She previously played minor counties cricket for Berkshire CCC and for Thames Valley CC.[4]
Early years and education
[edit]Born at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, her parents (Barun Guha and Roma née Deb) emigrated from Calcutta in West Bengal, India to Great Britain in the 1970s.[5] Guha started playing cricket with her elder brother[6] when she was about eight[5] and was selected for the Development England side aged 13.[7]
Guha attended Wycombe High School, a grammar school for girls,[8] before going up to University College London where she read biochemistry and molecular biology (graduating BSc), then neuroscience (MPhil).[9][10]
She was nominated FZS in 2024.[11]
Cricket career
[edit]A right arm fast-medium bowler, Guha made her Test cricket debut at 17 against India during their tour of England in 2002.[12] During that tour, Guha played in the 2002 Women's Tri-Series and performed well, taking three wickets in England's loss against New Zealand in the final.[13]
The first woman of Indian heritage to represent England at cricket,[14] in 2002, Guha was named BBC Asian Network Sports Personality of the Year.[15]
Guha's career best Test bowling figures were 5 for 40 in her penultimate Test match against Australia at the Bradman Oval in February 2008, where she took 9 wickets in the match and received the Player of the Match Award[16] as England retained The Ashes.[17] Her best bowling in 83 ODIs was 5 for 14 against the West Indies later in 2008.[18] In the same year, Guha rose to become the number one bowler in the ICC Women's One-Day International rankings.[19]
An integral part of the England team which won the 2009 World Cup, Guha announced her retirement from international cricket on 9 March 2012, stating she would continue to play county cricket for Berkshire.[20]
Guha with Lynsey Askew shared the world record batting partnership for the ninth wicket in WODIs of 73 runs from 2007 until 2024.[21][22]
Media work
[edit]Guha writes a column for the BBC Sport website[23] and is a Test Match Special commentator.[24] She joined ITV Sport in April 2012 as a co-presenter of ITV4's coverage of the Indian Premier League.[25][26][27]
In 2016, Guha was a member of the inaugural Triple M radio Test cricket commentary team in Australia.[28] In 2018, she was a commentator for Sky Sports for the England/Pakistan Test matches,[29] and was named as a commentator for Fox Cricket for their Australian cricket coverage.[30] She was also a member of the commentary team at the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[31] In 2020 she was the lead presenter of a new BBC TV Test and ODI cricket highlights show.[32][33]
In 2023, Guha joined the tennis presenting team for the BBC's coverage of the Wimbledon Championships,[34] and of the Paris Olympics in 2024.[35]
Charity interests and philanthropy
[edit]Isa Guha is an Ambassador (or "Supporter")[36] for Sporting Equals[37] and the British Asian Trust.[27][38] In 2023, she launched the Got Your Back initiative in order to support female cricket players.[39]
Guha is a member of Marylebone Cricket Club.[40]
Personal life
[edit]On 16 September 2018, Guha married her long-time boyfriend, musician Richard Thomas, a member of the band Brother & Bones.[41]
References
[edit]- ^ Isa Guha ESPN Cricinfo
- ^ Walker, Phil (23 October 2012). "A Drink With… Isa Guha". All Out Cricket. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ www.thenews.com.pk
- ^ "Isa Guha". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ a b Qureshi, Huma (10 October 2012). "Isa Guha: 'England is leading the way in women's cricket'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ www.kaushikguha.co.uk
- ^ Kumar, K. C. Vijaya (25 July 2014). "I had the best of both worlds: Isa Guha". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ "Wycombe girl named under 17s Cricketer of the Year". Bucks Free Press. 28 February 2002.
Dunhill, Lawrence (12 July 2010). "Nine decades of pupils attend renunion". Bucks Free Press. - ^ UCL (15 August 2006). "Student cricket star". UCL News. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ "How Isa Guha is Changing Perceptions about Cricket Presenters | Forbes India Blog". Forbes India. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ www.zsl.org
- ^ "Isa Guha". Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "Isa Guha NZ". Independent.co.uk. 20 July 2002. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ www.getbengal.com
- ^ "England's Isa Guha retires from international cricket". BBC Sport. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "Full Scorecard of Australia Women vs England Women Only Test 2008 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "England women win to retain Ashes". 18 February 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "Full Scorecard of England Women vs West Indies Women 2nd ODI 2008 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "Isa Guha ICC ODI Bowling Ranking". Reliance ICC Rankings. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Isa Guha retires from international cricket ESPN Cricinfo, 9 March 2012
- ^ "12th Match: England Women v New Zealand Women at Chennai, Mar 3, 2007 | Cricket Scorecard |". Cricinfo. ESPN. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ "Records | Women's One-Day Internationals | Partnership records | Highest partnerships by wicket |". Cricinfo. ESPN. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ Isa Guha column: 'I've picked a winner with the Black Keys' BBC Sport, 15 February 2012
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 – Test Match Special, The 2019 Men's World Cup Final". BBC. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ Indian Premier League cricket returns to ITV4 Archived 8 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine ITV Press Centre, 21 March 2012
- ^ The Indian Premier League returns to ITV4 and ITV.com Archived 27 January 2013 at archive.today ITV.com, 30 March 2012
- ^ a b ITV Snap up England's Women Cricket Star Isa Guha to present IPL coverage Archived 22 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Total Sport Promotions, 15 April 2011
- ^ Triple M Delivers Best Ever Ashes Commentary Team Triple M Melbourne, 22 September 2017
- ^ "Isa Guha is 'new face of cricket' on the BBC..." www.asian-voice.com.
- ^ Commentary Team Foxtel
- ^ www.skysports.com
- ^ "Cricket on the BBC: Isa Guha to present Test & ODI highlights shows". BBC Sport. 4 June 2020.
- ^ Martin, Ali (4 June 2020). "Geoffrey Boycott could end TMS career after BBC omit 79-year-old from lineup". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Who is Wimbledon presenter Isa Guha?". www.radiotimes.com. 27 June 2023.
- ^ www.bbc.com
- ^ "Isa Guha". Supporters. Sporting Equals. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ Brand Ambassadors Archived 9 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Sporting Equals
- ^ "VIVO IPL 2017 Schedule". Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017. British Asian Trust, September 2016
- ^ "Guha launches initiative to support women in cricket". BBC Sport. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ www.wisden.com
- ^ "These dreamy pictures from ex-English cricketer Isa Guha's wedding are bound to make your day". Daily News & Analysis. 21 September 2018.
External links
[edit]- 1985 births
- Living people
- People from Buckinghamshire
- English people of Bengali descent
- People educated at Wycombe High School
- Alumni of University College London
- English women cricketers
- British Asian cricketers
- English people of Indian descent
- Cricketers from High Wycombe
- Berkshire women cricketers
- England women Test cricketers
- England women One Day International cricketers
- England women Twenty20 International cricketers
- Thames Valley women cricketers
- Women cricket commentators
- English cricket commentators
- Sportspeople of Indian descent