Belinda Clark: Former Australian captain becomes first female cricketer to have statue | Cricket news

Former Australian captain and World Cup winner Belinda Clark has become the first female cricketer in the world to receive the sculpture.

Cricket Australia unveiled a statue of Clark in the grounds of the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday, joining fellow Australian greats Richie Benaud, Steve Waugh, Stan McCabe and Fred Spofforth.

Clark captained Australia for 12 years and won two ICC Women’s World Cup awards, amassing 15 Test caps and scoring 919 runs at an average of 45.95. The Australian is also a member of the ICC Hall of Fame and also has an Australian women’s cricketer named after her.

“I’m excited that the sculpture is in place and people can now look at it and maybe wonder what it is, who she is, and being able to tell a little bit of the story is really important,” Clark said. “The sculpture encapsulates the ability to go – to be brave, to take on these challenges and break conventions.

“I want people to take away that you can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it and you have good people around you and I think I’ve been lucky to have a lot of support and imagination to take my game where I wanted to take it and hopefully sport is in a better place for it.”

Clark retired from the sport in 2005, having also captained the side in 101 ODIs, by the end of which he was his country’s leading run-scorer in the format.

The 52-year-old, who became the first person to score an ODI double century with a score of 229 against Denmark in 1997, has since been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame as well as serving as CEO of Women’s Cricket Australia.

In 2022, Marylebone Cricket Club honored former England captain and pioneer Rachael Heyhoe Flint by renaming Lord’s North Gate after her.

Baroness Heyhoe Flint, who captained England from 1966 to 1978, died in 2017 while appearing in the opening match at Lord’s in 1976.