The support of her late mother inspired Isa Guha to keep playing for England as a teenager and she is now returning the favour to the next generation.
Guha has set up Take Her Lead, a charitable foundation that works to make cricket a welcoming place for women and girls.
The two-time World Cup winner is also supporting Sage, the Official Insights Partner of the Hundred, and their Sage Small Business XI competition.
They are offering one lucky small business owner mentoring and promotional support for 12 months, with Guha revealing how vital help was for her and Take Her Lead.
“I think the competition is hugely important actually, at this time as well, with the economy as it is,” the broadcaster said.
“There’s a lot of people who are doing it tough out there and wanting to set up their own business and just need a bit of support.
“I know what it is like to have a startup, having set up my not-for-profit, Take Her Lead.
“Just having that kind of support is so, so beneficial and not just for startups but for individuals as well.
“Having that mentorship, I think is so crucial, just to help guide you along the way at a time when things are changing all the time as well in a finance sense.
“You need all the help and guidance you can get.”
Guha, who has formed part of the BBC’s broadcast team for the first two editions of the Hundred, founded Take Her Lead last year in honour of her mother Roma, who passed away in 2019.
The foundation launched the ‘Got Your Back’ initiative earlier this year, which saw women and girls involved in cricket celebrate the people who had supported them on their journeys.
Guha also hoped it would serve as inspiration for women and girls making their way into the game, in a variety of roles.
She added: “I think just having a platform to be able to speak about what we do is hugely beneficial.
“And it was important that we took the time to work out exactly the areas of focus for us.
“I knew that I wanted to do something in my mum’s honor and that is the reason why I started it was recognising my own journey.
“There absolutely were times where I could have left the game as a teenager if it wasn’t for her support.
“And understanding that to have player retention it is important to have those role models and those support networks around you to keep people in the game.
“I think that the more we can connect players to those that are dipping their toe into our sport, then I think I think that will lead to better player retention and just people, women and girls in cricket in general.
“So being able to speak about the work that we’re doing, I think it’s a real privilege and an honour to be able to do that and the more support we can get, the more work we can do.”
The Sage Small Business XI will see one business win free advertising and business advice worth £60,000 with ten runners-up also receiving prizes.
Guha is currently part of the BBC’s coverage of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships but is already relishing a return to cricket as it rides a wave of momentum created by the Men’s and Women’s Ashes.
“Following on from the Ashes series, there’ll be a real amazing buzz around cricket and so many young people will have been captivated by what they’ve seen.
“So, this is just another opportunity to try and get cricket out to lots of different people.
“What I have realised from working in other sports and coming back to cricket is how lucky we are to have different formats that appeal to different audiences.
“There’s a different group of people that go to the women’s matches compared to the men’s and similarly to those that go to the Hundred compared to the Test match.
“I’m really excited about continuing what has been an amazing summer.”
The Sage Small Business XI competition will see a small business owner be part of The Hundred as well as winning a £60k boost to their business. Enter now at www.sage.co.uk/TheHundred
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