MCC has today announced the addition of three new Members to its World Cricket committee (WCC), which will be meeting next week in Dubai for the first time this year.
Clare Connor, Justin Langer, and Graeme Smith have joined the WCC, which is an independent body comprised of current and former international cricketers, umpires, and officials from across the world.
Former MCC President Connor was part of WCC discussions during her time in office at Lord’s and has now joined the WCC on a permanent basis. The former England captain, who led her country to a first women’s Ashes triumph in 42 years in 2005, has most recently been acting as interim Chief Executive at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and previously, Managing Director of women’s cricket.
Langer, an opening batter who played over 100 Tests for Australia in one of the great sides of the modern era, was Head Coach of the men’s team from 2018 until 2022 and led the side to retain the Ashes in a memorable series in England in 2019. Australia won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup under his guidance in 2021, before going on to defeat England in the Ashes on home soil.
Another opener who enjoyed more than a century of Tests for his country, Smith became South Africa’s youngest captain when he was handed the role at the age of 22. He was appointed South Africa’s Director of Cricket shortly after he retired from the game in 2014, and last year became Commissioner of the SA20, a league which has been enjoying early success in its inaugural tournament this year.
The upcoming WCC meeting takes place on Sunday 12 and Monday 13 February at the ICC headquarters in Dubai. Some of the key topics which will be discussed include what the game will look like across the next decade, including wealth distribution and playing schedules.
Following the conclusion of the last meeting, held at Lord’s in July, Tim May and Vince van der Bijl both stepped down from the committee, having served for the maximum length of time. MCC would like to put on record their thanks and gratitude to Tim and Vince for their commitment to the WCC throughout their lengthy tenures and look forward to welcoming them back to Lord’s soon.
These are the first new additions to the WCC since 2020 when Sir Alastair Cook and Ricky Skerritt were added. Brendon McCullum and Ricky Ponting have since stepped down from the committee due to other commitments, whilst Shane Warne was a valued member of the WCC at the time of his tragic passing last year.
"All three will bring different insights to the game"
Chair of the MCC World Cricket committee Mike Gatting said: “We are extremely pleased to be able to welcome Clare, Justin, and Graeme to the World Cricket committee. It is fantastic news that they have accepted our invitations.
“All three will bring different insights to the game and their deep knowledge from the elite level will be hugely advantageous to the work of the committee. I am looking forward to hearing their contributions to the important discussions that we have planned.”
World Cricket Committee