Ebony Rainford-Brent facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ebony Rainford-Brent

Personal information
Full name	Ebony-Jewel Cora-Lee Rosamond Camellia Rainford-Brent
Born	(1983-12-31) 31 December 1983 (age 41) Lambeth, Greater London, England
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast-medium
Role	Batter
International information
National side	England (2001–2010)
ODI debut (cap 98)	11 August 2001 v Netherlands
Last ODI	1 March 2010 v India
T20I debut (cap 21)	22 August 2008 v South Africa
Last T20I	4 March 2010 v India
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2001–2012	Surrey
Career statistics
Competition WODI WT20I WLA WT20 Matches 22 7 114 25 Runs scored 377 53 2,450 484 Batting average 23.56 8.83 24.50 30.25 100s/50s 0/2 0/0 3/12 0/2 Top score 72 23* 154* 80* Balls bowled 96 – 747 42 Wickets 2 – 11 2 Bowling average 45.00 – 51.09 18.00 5 wickets in innings 0 – 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 – 0 0 Best bowling 1/8 – 3/22 1/7 Catches/stumpings 4/– 0/– 28/– 11/–
Source: CricketArchive, 6 March 2021

Ebony-Jewel Cora-Lee Camellia Rosamond Rainford-Brent is a famous English former cricket player. She was born on December 31, 1983. After her playing career, she became a well-known commentator and a leader in cricket.

Ebony was the first black woman to play for the England women's cricket team. She also led the Surrey Women's team as captain. Later, she became the first Director of Women's Cricket at Surrey County Cricket Club.

A big highlight of her career was winning the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup in Australia in 2009. England beat New Zealand in the final. After this, her team also won the 2009 ICC Women's World Twenty20 and kept the Women's Ashes trophy.

Today, Ebony is a sports executive and a commentator for BBC's Test Match Special. She is one of the first women to commentate on men's international cricket. She also works with Sky Sports and gives inspiring talks.

Early Life and Challenges

Ebony Rainford-Brent was born in Lambeth, Greater London, in 1983. Her father was African-American and her mother was Jamaican. She grew up in Herne Hill, southeast London. She was the youngest of four children and the only girl.

When she was five, her older brother, Jay, passed away tragically. This was a very difficult time for her family.

Ebony found cricket through a charity called Cricket for Change when she was nine. They visited her primary school. She was good at many sports, like football and basketball. She even represented London in athletics. But she chose to focus on cricket.

Her cricket journey faced a big challenge when she was 19. She had a serious back injury. Doctors told her she might have to stop playing sports.

With support from her elder brother, Dominic, she looked for other medical help. The Talented Athletes Scholarship Scheme (TASS) helped her get the right treatment. After almost three years, she recovered. She then played for England in India in 2007. She also finished her studies at University College London (UCL) with a degree in Chemistry.

Cricket Career Highlights

Ebony Rainford-Brent played for Surrey throughout her career. She started in the under-11s and moved up to the senior team. She was the captain of the Surrey Women's team. In 2011, they moved up to the top division of women's cricket.

One of her best moments was winning the Women's World Cup with England. She also won "Player of the Match" against the West Indies in 2009. In that game, she scored her highest score of 72 not out.

She was the first woman in WT20I history to get three "ducks" (scoring zero runs) in a row.

Ebony is also a skilled cricket coach. She is a tutor trainer and knows about neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), which helps people understand how their thoughts affect their actions.

Working in Media

Ebony Rainford-Brent has done a lot of work in the media. She has hosted men's cricket games for Surrey County Cricket. She has also been a guest presenter on BBC Newsround. You might have seen her as an expert on Sky Sports and BBC Breakfast.

She has written many articles for BBC Sport and Cricket World. In 2012, she started working on BBC radio's Test Match Special (TMS). She first talked about women's games. Later, she started commentating on men's matches too. She was part of the TMS team for the men's 2015 Cricket World Cup.

In 2020, she joined the Sky Sports cricket commentary team. She and Michael Holding received an award in December 2020. This was for their work against racism during a cricket match broadcast. They also won a BAFTA award in 2021. In November 2020, she won a Sports Journalists’ Association's (SJA) Sport for Social Change award.

In December 2024, Ebony was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs.

Cricket Leadership and Charity Work

During her playing career, Ebony became an ambassador for Chance to Shine. This charity helps bring cricket and inspiring talks to schools.

In 2011, she started working for the charity Lord's Taverners. She became a manager for their cricket programs. She helped create programs to give disadvantaged and disabled young people access to sports.

In 2013, she became a Trustee for the England and Wales Cricket Board Trust (EWCT).

In 2014, Ebony was named the first Director for Surrey Women's Cricket. In this role, she helps guide women's cricket at the club. She also works to get more girls and women playing cricket. She helped organize a Twenty20 match between Surrey and Middlesex in 2015.

In January 2020, she started Surrey's African-Caribbean Engagement (ACE) program. This program encourages black teenagers to get involved in cricket. By January 2023, it had reached 10,000 children.

Ebony was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 2021. This was for her great work in cricket and charity.

In 2023, she joined the ECB Board as a Cricket Non-executive Director. Also in 2023, she received an honorary degree from Loughborough University. This recognized her contributions to cricket, TV, radio, and her work promoting diversity in sports.

Ebony Rainford-Brent is also an ambassador for Beyond Sport.