What is an MBE? Former England cricketer Isa Guha receives honour in King’s New Year list

Former England cricketer Isa Guha has been honored with an MBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours list for her services to inclusivity and cricket. Guha made history as the first woman of South Asian descent to represent England in any sport. An MBE stands for Member of the Order of the British Empire and is a prestigious award presented to people by the British monarch as a way of appreciating them for the valuable services they have contributed to society. It is announced twice a year: the King's New Year Honours and the King's Birthday Honours. MBE provides rewards for contributions to sport, arts, charity, education, and public services.

A two-time World Cup winner, Guha enjoyed a successful international career for England, where she played eight women's Tests, 83 ODIs, and 22 T20Is, picking up a total of 148 wickets with her energetic medium pace. She was thus one of the most important factors in England's golden era in women's cricket.

Guha retired from international cricket on March 9, 2012, at the age of just 26. Interestingly, her retirement came on the same day as former India captain Rahul Dravid stepped away from international cricket. She chose to move on early to explore life beyond the playing field.

From World Cups to Commentary and Leadership Roles

Before retiring, Guha played a key role in England’s success at the highest level. She was part of the teams that won both the 50-over World Cup and the T20 World Cup in 2009. She also featured in England’s Women’s Ashes victories in 2005 and 2007–08, with her best performance coming at Bowral, where she returned match figures of 9 for 100.

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After ending her playing career, Guha moved into cricket commentary with ease. Like former players Anjum Chopra and Lisa Sthalekar, she built a strong presence in broadcasting. Her career took a major step forward in 2014 when she became the first female summarizer on BBC Test Match Special and later covered major tournaments, including the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

In 2017, Guha achieved another milestone by becoming the first woman appointed as a non-executive director on the board of the Professional Cricketers' Association. Away from broadcasting, she founded the charity Take Her Lead to encourage more women and girls to take up cricket. Born in London to parents who migrated from Kolkata, she remains connected to her roots and, in 2018, married musician Richard Thomas of the band Brother & Bones.