Former Australian cricketer and current commentator Mel Jones has been honoured with the prestigious 2025 Spirit of Cricket Award for her extraordinary efforts in helping to relocate and support the Afghanistan women’s cricket team. The award was presented at Lord’s by MCC President, Baron King of Lothbury, during the lunch break of the ongoing Lord’s Test between England and India.
“Giving Afghan Women a Voice for the Future” – Dr. Sarah Fane
While presenting the award, the MCC President said: “I’mabsolutely delighted to be able to present the 2025 Spirit of Cricket Award to Mel Jones, not just for her work on commentaries where she’s truly outstanding, not merely for her work in supporting women’s cricket, but most significantly for the fact that she was fundamentally important in ensuring that the Afghanistan women’s team could relocate to Australia. So it gives me great pleasure, Mel, to present you with the Spirit of Cricket Award 2025.”
An emotional Mel Jones responded: “I don’t think I’ve cried for this entire time in which we’ve been involved with it all, but I just got a little bit teary then. I cannot thank you enough. But yeah, it means the world to me. But yeah, as we say in Australia, this will go straight to the pool room. Just compose yourself.”
Dr. Sarah Fane, Director of the MCC Foundation, praised Jones for her dedication: “What you’ve done is extraordinary… you’ve given Afghan women a voice for the future.”
Jones played a crucial role in helping the displaced team find stability. Most of the players are now based in Australia, with a few in Canada and the UK. She added: “I appreciate all the work that the MCC and the MCC Foundation have done in supporting the whole process pretty much from, it’s almost four years ago now. But to now see the majority of the girls in Australia, we’ve got two in Canada and one here who is attached to the MCC Foundation as well. Absolutely thriving on the cricket front. We’re looking forward to an ICC announcement in a week or so’s time about how we can continue that where they hopefully can do almost what the men’s team have done and create that fairytale story of playing in World Cups. That’s what we want for the Afghanistan women’s team.”
Mel Jones had a distinguished playing career, representing Australia in 61 WODIs and five WT20Is, scoring 1,028 and 251 runs respectively. She registered five fifties and one century in international cricket.
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