Ed Smith, a former England selector, has been appointed Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) next president. Starting on October 1, he will serve a 12-month term. The former England cricket player will take over as Lord King of Lothbury, the club announced at its annual general meeting.
Ed Smith scored around 13,000 first-class runs, including 34 hundreds, while playing for Kent, Middlesex, and England in three Test matches. He declared his intention to serve the club to the best of his abilities.
“As a cricket enthusiast, player, and later selector, Lord’s has played a unique role in my life. I have a strong commitment to giving the team and the entire game my all,” Ed Smith stated.
He also acknowledged that the former player has a wealth of cricketing experience and is prepared to handle the MCC in the coming days.
“The choice of my successor meets the twin criteria of being an outstanding first-class cricketer who played for England and a highly intelligent author and educator who is ideally equipped to help MCC navigate the challenges ahead,” said Lord King.
After retiring from cricket in 2008, the batter wrote five books and started a new career in the media. For three years starting in 2018, when England won the 2019 World Cup, the Pembury-born cricket player served as the team’s senior selector.
By teaching the MA Leadership in Sport in collaboration with Loughborough University in London, the England cricket player also co-founded the Institute of Sports Humanities (ISH), which aims to inspire the sport’s present and future leaders.
The 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final and the first-ever Women’s Test match will be held at Lord’s during the former cricket player’s tenure. Additionally, he will serve for the first season of the Hunderd’s private leadership. After selling 49% of London Spirit to Cricket Investor Holdings Limited for £145.5 million, the highest amount paid by any of the eight franchises combined, MCC will keep 51% of the business.
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