Wimbledon presenter Isa Guha won the Women’s Cricket World Cup, has a biochemistry degree and is married to a musician
NEW presenters, please.
To replace the legendary Sue Barker, BBC bosses have two new hosts for their Wimbledon coverage.
One is Clare Balding. The other is Isa Guha, who has made her name for herself as a cricketer and is now a media darling.
The 38-year-old fronts the BBC’s Test Match Special alongside Phil Tufnell.
She got her big break when an ITV executive contacted her on Twitter to see if she was interested in co-presenting their Indian Premier League coverage in 2012.
Isa is also graduated with a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and an MPhil in neuroscience from University College London.
In 2018, she married Cornish musician Richie Thomas – who has toured with Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini.
Glory with England
A right arm fast-medium bowler, Guha made her Test debut at 17 against India during their tour in 2002 and became the first woman of South Asian heritage to play for England in any sport.
The same year she was crowned BBC Asian Network Sports Personality of the Year.
She became an integral member of England Women’s most successful sides – playing Test series cricket and One-Day internationals.
In 2008, she took a career best 5 for 40 in her seventh Test match, against Australia at the Bradman Oval and took nine wickets in the match, winning the player of the match award, as England retained the Ashes.
A year later she was part of England’s World Cup winning squad.
She retired from international cricket in 2012, although continued to play for Berkshire until 2014.
That’s when a different career beckoned.
Media career
It was never Guha’s ambition to become a TV presenter. It was something that happened by chance.
“I got a Twitter message from a guy at ITV in 2011 asking whether I could come and have a chat,” she told the Daily Mail.
“They had the IPL rights, it was two weeks away and the actress Mandira Bedi was pregnant so they needed a presenter. I thought they just wanted me to be a pundit.”
At the time, she was still playing cricket.
And she was also studying a PHD in Neuroscience. But it was an opportunity too good to turn down.
She said: “In my head, it was no pressure because I had no idea. I just embraced it and was happy to take it on, knowing that I probably looked like a fool but I got a lot of support from people like Matt Smith and Mark Pougatch.”
She hasn’t looked back
In 2016, following her stint with ITV’s Indian Premier League coverage, she was part of Australia’s Triple M radio Test cricket commentary team.
Two years later, Sky Sports added her to their programming for the England/Pakistan test matches.
The Aussies hired Guha again as a commentator for Fox Cricket, and she was a regular for their 2019 World Cup coverage.
In 2020, the BBC came calling and offered Isa an opportunity she couldn’t refuse – a lead presenter role for a new BBC TV Test and ODI highlights show.
She is also now a regular presenter on BBC Radio 5 live Sport’s Test Match Special.
Alongside king of spin Phil Tufnell, she delights listeners and once went viral for cheekily stealing a flake from Tuffers’ ice cream without him noticing. Cheek… she has that in abundance.
Married to a musician
Away from sport, Guha is married to man bun-sporting musician Richie Thomas.
Originally from Cornwall, he found fame in the folk band Brother & Bones.
Although they never quite reached the dizzy heights, Thomas would go on to become a multi-instrumentalist for Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini and Ben Howard.
He has since earned acclaim as a solo artist, releasing a debut album What Circus Is This? earlier this year.
Guha and Thomas said their ‘I do’s’ at a Hindu ceremony held at Carbis Bay, Cornwall in front of friends and family.
The bride wore a traditional sari, while the groom opted for a black suit.
Cricketers including Danielle Wyatt enjoyed the festivities.
Successful in love and now in career, Guha is clearly lucky in both.