Ex-New Zealand woman cricketer Lesley Murdoch elected

Auckland, Nov 9 (IANS) Former New Zealand woman cricketer Lesley Murdoch was on Wednesday elected president of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) at their Annual General Meeting (AGM). The 66-year-old is the second woman to fill this role after outgoing president, Debbie Hockley.

Murdoch, who played six Tests and 25 One-day Internationals for the New Zealand women's team -- captaining it in both formats -- and represented her country in hockey at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, has been NZC's vice president for the past year.

A sports broadcaster and commentator, life member of NZC, and a member of the panel that modernised the old New Zealand Cricket Council in 1995, she is also a trustee on the New Zealand Community Trust.

The AGM also saw the election of new director Sarah Beaman and the re-election of director Kevin Malloy. Beaman, who NZC commissioned to author the Women and Cricket Report in 2016, works with businesses and organisations both within and outside of the sport sector, helping build and improve organisational capability.

Previously a captain of the New Zealand U23 Women's cricket team and coach of the Auckland Hearts, Beaman was also a member of both the Junior Board and Women's Board of NZC.

NZC also announced a surplus of NZD 792,000 for the 2021/22 year against a budgeted loss of NZD 3.6m, demonstrating its commercial resilience during a period of ongoing uncertainty, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The New Zealand men's cricket team will be playing the ICC Men's T20 World Cup semifinal against Pakistan later on Wednesday.