BBC cricket presenter: Asians should pass the Tebbit test

British Asian families should pass the ‘Tebbit test’ and encourage their offspring to play cricket for England, according to the new female recruit to the BBC’s Test Match Special team.

Isa Guha said too many parents were denying their children a sporting career by remaining loyal to the country of their birth, and urged Asian communities to “change the mindset”.

Guha, 29, did not have that experience. The daughter of Indian parents who settled in Britain in the 1970s, she became the first woman of Asian origin to represent England when she was just 17.

During a decade-long career she was part of England teams that won the women’s Ashes and World Cup, retiring from international cricket in 2012 after 113 caps.

Miss Guha is the first woman to become a regular summariser on Test Match Special since its inception in 1957. The radio programme already employs Alison Mitchell as a commentator.

In an interview with Radio Times, Guha said more British Asians should have the opportunity to play for England.
“I’ve always been an England fan. I was born and bred here,” she said.
“Thirty per cent of cricketers in this country are from an Asian background but there are huge amounts of players from Asian backgrounds who perhaps don’t feel there is a pathway for them to the England team.
“It’s about changing the mindset of Asian communities, that it’s okay to play for England. Parents and families generally support the countries that they come from – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh.”

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