Cheteshwar Pujara, Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, Mel Jones and Tamim Iqbal have been elected as Honorary Life Members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the club announced on Sunday (June 28). The five cricketers were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the game, with Bates, Devine and Jones receiving their memberships from MCC President Ed Smith, and Chair Mark Nicholas at Lord's, where they were present.

Pujara receives the honour after a distinguished career in which he played 103 Tests, scoring 7195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries. A mainstay of India's Test batting for over a decade, Pujara was instrumental in several famous overseas triumphs and finished with more than 21,000 first-class runs. The 37-year-old has since moved into broadcasting.

Fresh from bringing their international careers to a close following New Zealand's group-stage exit at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, Bates and Devine were also honoured. Bates signed off as the leading run-scorer in Women's T20 Internationals and amassed over 10,000 runs across the two white-ball formats for the White Ferns, while Devine retired as one of the game's premier all-rounders, having scored more than 8,000 runs and claimed over 240 wickets in ODIs and T20Is. As captain, Devine also led New Zealand to the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup title.

Former Australia international Mel Jones was another recipient. A two-time Women's World Cup winner, Jones has gone on to become one of cricket's leading broadcasters and a prominent advocate for women's cricket.

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal completed the list of inductees. Bangladesh's leading ODI run-scorer and second-highest Test run-getter, Tamim scored more than 13,000 international runs across formats during his playing career. He was recently appointed president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, becoming the youngest to hold the position.

"We are delighted to be able to welcome five fantastic cricketers as our newest Honorary Life Members," said MCC chief executive and secretary Rob Lawson. "Each of them is richly deserving of the recognition for their lifelong dedication to the game. We look forward to welcoming them to Lord's as MCC Members in the years to come."