While I was having lunch today I was watching the end of a one-day cricket match in which South Africa were roundly thrashing Australia. The game was pretty much over when I tuned in, but I stuck around to listen because the current commentary team was billed as Greg Blewett and Claire Cowan. Blewett, of course, I knew. He had a fine career with Australia, but who was this South African woman? Indeed, not only did we have a woman in the commentary box (which must be causing MCC members to have heart attacks), but she was clearly very knowledgeable about the game, even venturing to give Punter some advice on his batting technique.

Thanks to CricInfo I now know that Ms. Cowan opened the batting for the South African ladies team in a couple of tests back in 2003. It wasn’t a stellar playing career, but she seems to have successfully talked her way into the commentary box. And she’s doing a real job as well, not just reporting “human interest” stories from the sidelines, which appears to be the “woman’s role” in most sports broadcasting.

So well done Claire, and well done South Africa. That and Claire Taylor being the first woman to be honored as one of Wisden’s Players of the Year. I await news that an earthquake has struck the Members’ Room at Lords.