MCC appoints Ed Smith as next president

Ed Smith has been named as the next president of MCC.

Smith, the former England selector, will serve a 12-month term as president from October 1, succeeding Lord King of Lothbury, the club announced following its AGM on Wednesday.

"Lord's has been a special part of my life - as a cricket fan, a player and then as a selector," Smith said. "I am deeply committed to serving the club - and the whole game - to the best of my ability."

Lord King said: "The choice of my successor meets the twin criteria of being an outstanding first-class cricketer who played for England and a highly intelligent author and educator who is ideally equipped to help MCC navigate the challenges ahead."

Smith played for Kent, Middlesex and three Tests for England in a career which spanned 13 seasons, scoring nearly 13,000 first-class runs, including 34 centuries.

After retiring from the game in 2008, he embarked on a career in the media and wrote five books. He was chief selector for the England men's team for three years from 2018, during which time England won the World Cup.

Smith is also involved in academia, as co-founder of the Institute of Sports Humanities (ISH), which has a mission to nurture and inspire sport's current and future leaders, teaching the MA Leadership in Sport in partnership with Loughborough University London.

During Smith's tenure as MCC President, Lord's will stage the final of the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup and host Women's Test cricket for the first time.

He will also be in office during the Hundred's first season under private ownership. MCC will retain a 51% stake in London Spirit after selling 49% to Cricket Investor Holdings Limited, a consortium of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs, for £145.5 million - the largest sum accrued by any of the eight franchises.