When Jan Brittin took a magnificent running catch over her shoulder to seal victory in the 1993 World Cup final at Lord’s she triumphantly hurled the ball high in the air before racing towards her exultant team-mates.
It was an uncharacteristic display of emotion from a player respected for her modesty and widely acknowledged as the most gifted batswoman of her generation. Known to all as “JB”, she was England’s highest international runmaker.
Britten was a classic opening batsman, with unwavering concentration. Opponents could only admire her grace at the crease as she unleashed her trademark drives. In an international career that spanned 19 years, she was England’s leading scorer with 1,935 runs in 27 Tests, hitting a career-best 167 against Australia in the second