England women cricket’s icon Jan Brittin has died of cancer at the age of 58. The former cricketer, who was a part of England’s World Cup-winning side in 1993, played 27 Tests and 63 One-Day Internationals and was a vital contributor to the development of women’s cricket in England.
Brittin brought down curtains on her illustrious 19-year career with two major batting records to her name. Her tally of 1935 runs in the longest format of the game is still the highest while she also held the record for most ODI runs (2,121) until 2003 when her compatriot Charlotte Edwards surpassed the record.
The legendary batswoman also scored ten international centuries with five in each format of the game (Test and ODI). Her career-best score of 167 in Test came in her penultimate game in 1998.
She was was my idol growing up,so calm,elegant,determined and very modest. Simply one of the best, thanks for the memories JB #RIPJB pic.twitter.com/1yRUE5oTzj
— Charlotte Edwards (@C_Edwards23) September 12, 2017
Ebony Rainford-Brent, Surrey’s director of women’s cricket, paid her tribute to Brittin, fondly known as JB, by saying:
“JB was such an inspiration to me and many others growing up who were able to watch or play with one of the greatest female cricketers of all time.”
“As a character, she was fun, engaging and always generous in her knowledge, particularly when she gave back as a coach later in her career. Her records speak for themselves the class of player she was and will stand the test of time. She will be sorely missed by the Surrey community, and we as a county are sending out our condolences to her loved ones and family,” Rainford-Brent added.
Clare Connor, Director of England Women’s Cricket, also paid her homage to the former England star.
“JB was was one of the most quiet and unassuming cricketers you could meet, but she was pure class. An outstanding cricketer and a truly lovely person. JB will be remembered so fondly by the women’s cricket fraternity as well as by her numerous friends in the golfing world,” she said.
“She was a wonderful golfer as I found out when I was lucky enough to play a round with her in Calcutta on my first England tour, aged just 19. I remember feeling star-struck. The irony is not lost on me now, for nobody could have played international sport with more modesty than JB. On behalf of the ECB and the England women’s team, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Jan’s family and friends,” she added.