Published 16:52 IST, October 22nd 2020
Geoffrey Boycott makes 'sexist' claim on 80th birthday, gets slammed by Isa Guha
Former England women's cricketer Isa Guha hits back at Geoffrey Boycott's false claims that she replaced him at BBC solely because of her gender and race.
Former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has carved a niche for himself as a presenter after his retirement and is a prominent face in cricket commentary. A regular feature in England men's team's cricket matches four decades ago, the former cricketer's viewpoints of the game are much respected amongst the cricket fraternity. Geoffrey Boycott had recently voiced his displeasure regarding BBC's new recruits. But his comments did not go down well with presenter Isa Guha.
Geoffrey Boycott unhappy with Isa Guha replacing him
Geoffrey Boycott, who was a part of BBC's famous Test Match Special radio commentary team, was not pleased when his contract was not renewed in June. The legendary cricketer did not mince his words when he was asked about the revamped panel of the Test Match Special Show that included Isa Guha, former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, and veteran seamer James Anderson.
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In an interview with The Telegraph, Boycott mentioned that the network has chosen equality over quality. He added that the move of roping in new presenters was taken, keeping the gender and race in mind to suit political correctness. Isa Guha, whose parents moved to England from India in the 1970s, has represented the England women's cricket team in 83 ODIs, 22 T20Is and 8 Test matches.
Isa Guha responds to Geoffrey Boycott's statements
Isa Guha, who is also known for her commentary stints all over the world, gave a stern reply to Geoffrey Boycott's remarks. The ex-cricketer took to her social media accounts to share a message that stated that her role at BBC will be significantly different from that of Boycott's and she has not 'replaced' him in the panel. She went on to add that she does not appreciate people dragging her in such conversations solely for her gender and skin colour.
As per a report published by Daily Mail, Isa Guha had replaced boycott in the BBC team. However, it is Alastair Cook who has been roped in for the role on an expert. Guha was unhappy with the article and mentioned that she prefers avoiding such news.
This, however, is not the first time that Geoffrey Boycott has sparked a similar debate when he stated that women's cricket bears no resemblance to the power and pace of men's cricket. As per Boycott, there is no room for women commentators in men's cricket. Ex-Australian cricketer Lisa Sthalekar had hit back by claiming cricket is a sport for all shapes and sizes, regardless of gender.
Geoffrey Boycott age
The cricketer-turned-commentator turned 80 on Wednesday. Boycott had a prolific cricket career in which he represented the England team in 108 Test matches and 36 ODIs. He has also dealt with health issues lately and had to undergo a quadruple heart by-pass surgery in 2018. Veteran sports presenter Harsha Bhogle had posted a heartfelt note after he visited Boycott after his surgery.
Source: Isa Guha Instagram
Updated 16:52 IST, October 22nd 2020