Isa Guha
Isa Tara Guha (born 21 May 1985) is an English sports broadcaster and former international cricketer who represented the England women's national team as a right-arm medium-pace bowler and lower-order right-handed batter from 2001 to 2012.[1][2]
Guha debuted internationally at age 16 against Scotland in an ODI and became the first woman of South Asian origin to play for England in any sport, accumulating 113 caps across formats: 83 ODIs (101 wickets), 8 Tests, and 22 T20Is, while contributing to Ashes series wins in 2005, 2008, and 2009, as well as England's 2009 ICC Women's World Twenty20 title.[3][1][4]
She achieved the ICC Women's ODI Player of the Year ranking in 2008 and holds the record for the second-most wickets in England women's ODI history.[1][4]
Post-retirement, Guha established a prominent broadcasting career, presenting and commentating for outlets including BBC, Sky Sports, ITV, ESPN, and Fox Cricket in Australia, and founded Take Her Lead in 2022 to mentor women in sports leadership.[1][5][6]
Early life
Family background and upbringing
Isa Tara Guha was born on 21 May 1985 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, to Barun and Roma Guha (née Deb), who were Bengali immigrants from Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal, India.[1][7] Her parents had emigrated to the United Kingdom in the 1970s, settling in England where Barun Guha worked in retail services for supermarkets such as Waitrose.[8][9] Guha has an elder brother seven years her senior.[10] Guha was raised in a Westernised community in Buckinghamshire, maintaining strong ties to her Indian heritage while growing up in England.[11][12] Her family background reflected the experiences of Indian diaspora families in the UK during that era, with her parents' relocation influencing a blend of cultural influences in her early environment.[13] Roma Guha passed away at age 65 from cancer.[8]Education and introduction to cricket
Guha attended Wycombe High School in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, where she developed her early interest in sports alongside academics.[14] She later enrolled at University College London (UCL), earning a Bachelor of Science degree while balancing her studies with competitive cricket commitments, including national team selections during her student years.[15][16] Guha's parents introduced her to cricket at around five years old, initially sparking her interest through casual play in the family garden by rolling a ball for her to chase and retrieve.[17] By age eight, her parents enrolled her at the local cricket club in High Wycombe, where she joined the Colts team—typically for boys—due to the absence of dedicated girls' squads at the time, marking her formal entry into organized cricket.[18] This early exposure led to rapid progression: she represented Buckinghamshire in underage competitions and debuted internationally for England at age 16 in the 2001 Women's European Championship against Scotland, showcasing her potential as a medium-pace bowler.[19][17]Cricket career
Domestic and county cricket
Guha began her domestic career playing club cricket for Reading Ridgeway, initially in the under-17 section, before progressing to the senior team in the Premier Division.[20][21] Her performances there, combined with stints in Thames Valley women's teams and boys' sides, led to her recruitment by Berkshire for county cricket.[21][22] At the county level, Guha represented Berkshire CCC, where she developed as a right-arm medium-fast bowler and lower-order batter.[19] She captained the Berkshire women's team and contributed to efforts promoting women's cricket achievements domestically.[23] Following her international retirement on 9 March 2012, she expressed plans to continue playing county cricket for Berkshire.[24]International career and key achievements
Isa Guha represented England in international women's cricket from 2001 to 2012, establishing herself as a key fast-medium bowler capable of swinging the ball both ways. She made her international debut at age 16 during the 2001 Women's European Championship, becoming the first woman of South Asian origin to play for England in any sport.[19][2] Her Test debut followed in July 2002 against India at Taunton, where she claimed early wickets including Mithali Raj.[25] Over her career, Guha played 8 Tests, 83 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 22 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), amassing 101 ODI wickets among her totals.[2] A highlight of her Test career occurred during the 2007–08 Ashes series in Australia. In the sole Test at Bowral, Guha took match figures of 9/100, including 5/40 in the first innings to bowl Australia out for 154 and 4/60 in the second, enabling England to chase 142 for victory and retain the Ashes.[26][27] This performance, her best in Tests, earned her the Player of the Match award and the series Player of the Series accolade.[28][29] Guha's ODI and T20I contributions peaked in 2009, when she was part of the England squads that won both the ICC Women's World Cup in Australia—defeating New Zealand in the final—and the inaugural ICC Women's World Twenty20 at home.[19][2] That year, she rose to the ICC No. 1 ranked women's bowler.[29] Her international retirement came on 9 March 2012, following consistent contributions to England's multi-format successes, including multiple series victories.[19]