Edwards first female president of England's cricketers union
AFP
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England great Charlotte Edwards has become the first female president of the Professional Cricketers' Association.
An outstanding top-order batsman, Edwards scored over 10,000 runs in more than 300 matches during an international career that lasted from 1996 to 2016.
Edwards, who succeeds Graham Gooch, another former England captain, was elected for an initial two-year term at Thursday's annual general meeting of the PCA, which represents all professional cricketers playing in England.
"I'm hugely honoured to be given such a prestigious title in being the president of the PCA," said Edwards in a statement.
"It's an exciting time for women's cricket and I'm really excited about what I can bring to the role."
A four-time Ashes winner, Edwards was England captain when they won both limited-overs World Cups in 2009, while she remains the country's leading run-scorer in both women's one-day internationals and Twenty20s.
Edwards is now the coach of the Southern Vipers and will take up a similar role with the women's team at the Southern Brave in English domestic cricket's new Hundred competition, which gets underway in the upcoming 2021 season.
The 41-year-old was among the first female cricketers to receive an England central contract in 2014.
And she takes up her new post just a few months after the England and Wales Cricket Board handed out full-time domestic deals to 41 female players.
"I think the introduction of 41 new female members to the PCA has shown it's the right time to have a female PCA president, but I'm passionate about looking after the interests of the men's game as well in order to help cricket thrive as a whole," said Edwards.
