Jane Smit

Nottingham Trent alumna Jane Smit is revelling in her international cricketing success, recently becoming only the fourth woman in the world to have played in 100 One Day International (ODI) matches.

This personal triumph was commemorated by the presentation of a very special cricket bat. It was given to her by the England and Wales Cricket Board during the second Test Match against India at Taunton at the end of August 2006.

In addition to her ODI caps, Jane has also played in 21 Test Matches and in 2005 she was part of the side that reclaimed the women’s version of the Ashes from the Australians for the first time in 42 years. She recalls:

“That was a real career highlight for me, winning the Ashes in 2005, the same year as the men won them. The whole experience of winning and the bus parade through London and Trafalgar Square is something I will never forget.”

She first played for England back in 1992 in a Test Match against Australia in Sydney. In 1993 she became England’s wicketkeeper in the team that played in the World Cup. That year England went on to win the Cup, playing the final at Lords where they beat New Zealand by five wickets. The 1993 win was followed by further World Cup appearances in India 1997, New Zealand 2001 and South Africa 2005.

In February 2007, she was a member of the England team that took part in a quadrangular series (called the World Series) comprised of the best four teams in the world: Australia, New Zealand, India and England.

In 2008 Jane played in the Australian leg of the Twenty20 international, announcing her retirement from international cricket after the one-day series was drawn.