Best women cricketers of all time

RadioTimes.com brings you a summary of the best women cricketers of all time.

Rachael Heyhoe Flint (England, 1960 1982)

It’s impossible to think of England women’s cricket without mentioning the trailblazing former captain, whose antics off the field were as revolutionary as those on it. The dominant batsman could play in any situation, be it playing an extremely aggressive bowler or a determined defence.

He became England captain in 1966 and was unbeaten in six consecutive series. In 1973, he lifted the world title because he had started organizing the tournament (two years before the men’s match). In 1976, he scored a stunning 179 in 521 minutes at the age of 37, a record Test innings. time. With three hundreds in Tests and one in ODIs, he ended his career with an average of nearly 46 in Tests and over 58 in ODIs. After retirement, she continued to beat the drum for women’s cricket and was one of the first women to be admitted to the MCC in 2004. There is now a gate at Lord’s to honor her achievements both on and off the field.

Karen Rolton (Australia, 1995 2009)

The fast-scoring top-class dough is one of the smoothest for decorating creases. His ability to take the game away was particularly evident in Tests and he remains Australia’s leading run-scorer with 1002 in 14 matches, a high score of 209* and an average in the mid-70s. He was integral to the teams success and scored a century in the 2005 World Cup final to help Australia win their fifth World Cup.

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He was also chosen as the player of the final and series. In 2006, she started as captain and capped the year by winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award. He continued to shine on the global stage before retiring in 2010 after playing a world record 141 ODIs. Adelaide’s oval has since been named the Karen Rolton Oval in her honour.

Debbie Hockley (New Zealand, 1979 2000)

The White Ferns legend played 118 ODIs and scored 4064 runs, including 34 fifties and four hundreds at an average of over 40. Numbers and records surround Hockley, who became the first woman to reach 4000 runs and the first to play 100 ODIs . Along the way, he scored two World Cup hundreds in 40 World Cup matches.

He was equally impressive in Test matches with 1301 Runs in 19 matches, including two four hundreds and seven fifties and a top score of 126*. In 2016, she became the first woman to become New Zealand Cricket President. Then in 2023, New Zealand Cricket announced that the Debbie Hockley Medal for Outstanding Female Cricketer of the Year would be introduced.

Mithali Raj (India, 1999-2002)

Perhaps India’s most famous female player, Indian Womens Cricket’s Lady Tendulkar is the all-time leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket and the only woman to pass the 7000-run mark. In addition to this, he was the first player to score seven consecutive fifties and holds the record for ODI half-centuries with 64. He began his cricketing journey at the age of ten and was named as a probable for the 1997 World Cup, but did not make it. made his ODI debut until 1999 when he scored an unbeaten 114.

Aged just 19 in 2002, she broke the world record for the highest Test score (209* by Karen Rolton) when she scored 214 against England. Appointed India’s permanent captain in 2005, she became a force to be reckoned with off the field in her bid to professionalise the women’s game in India and make it a viable career for Indian girls. Her batting will live long in the dream coaching handbook and she topped the records by becoming the first woman to complete two decades of international cricket.

Cathryn Fitzpatrick (Australia, 1991 2007)

With a speed of 75 km/h, the Australian spinner spent 16 years as the world’s fastest female bowler. But it wasn’t just raw pace, it was his ability to keep an incredibly low economy (1.91 in Tests and 3.01 in ODIs) that made him so formidable. In June 2005, she became the first woman to pick up 150 ODI wickets, and the following year she made her 100th ODI appearance for Australia.

In just 13 Test matches, he took 60 wickets, including two fives and six fours, while his ODI best bowling figures of 5-14 speak for themselves. Regarded as one of the first true pace bowlers in the women’s game, there are still few who can beat this Australian’s blistering pace.

Sarah Taylor (England, 2006 2019)

Named by Adam Gilchrist in 2018 as the world’s best wicketkeeper, male or female, to have ever played, Sarah Taylor will long be remembered as a game-changer behind the stumps. He set the standard in staying up, particularly in the 2010s when he stood up against the stumps and as part of England’s dominant sides that won the double at the World Cup in 2009 and won the trophy in 2017.

In the semi-finals of the 2017 tournament, he scored 54 in the semi-final against South Africa and 45 in the final. His way of playing the role of an innovative wicket-keeper, few will ever forget the incredible catch he took to dismiss Australian captain Jodie Fields. If you didn’t see the itch, check it out!

Belinda Clark (Australia, 1991 2005)

It took the right-handed batsman just two weeks after his debut to get his first international hundred on his Test debut. From there, she broke records, becoming the first woman to score a double hundred in ODIs and amassing a total of 4,844 runs in the format, including five hundreds and 20 fifties with two Test hundreds and six fifties.

He captained Australia for 11 years, leading Australia in 101 matches with a win percentage of 83% and winning two World Cups (1997 and 2005) and came close in 2001 when Australia lost to New Zealand in the final despite Clarks 91. In 2014, she became the first woman inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame and the second inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2023, she was awarded a bronze statue at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Jhulan Goswami (India 2002 2022)

During his career spanning two decades, Goswami was renowned as one of the fastest bowlers in the game. At the start of his career, he was inspired by watching the 1992 World Cup on television, so he took a train from Chakdaha to Kolkata to train as he had no local facilities to use. His pace and ability to force deviations off the field saw him pick up a staggering 44 Test, 255 ODI and 56 T20 wickets, including six five-mark hauls across formats and 10 Test match wickets.

She was awarded the ICC Women’s Player of the Year Award in 2007, followed by the MA Chidambaram Award for the Best Women’s Cricketer in 2011. Her iconic performance was difficult to emulate but garnered career accolades. She made history as part of the Indian women’s team that won the Test series for the first time in the 2006-07 series, where she scored a fifty as a night watchman and picked up 10 wickets in the game. In March 2022, she became the all-time leading goalscorer at the Women’s World Cup, surpassing Lyn Fullston’s record, and is now even being made into a Netflix biopic.

Enid Bakewell (England, 1968 1982)

Bakewell is perhaps the best all-rounder ever made in England. It was clear from his debut that he would become a star when he scored a hundred on debut opening the batting against Australia in 1968. In 12 matches he scored 1078 runs at an average of nearly 60, including four hundred and seven fifties. He also took 50 wickets, including best figures of 7-61 with left-arm orthodox spin.

He was equally prolific in ODIs, scoring two hundreds and two fifties in 23 matches. His crowning moment came in the first Cricket World Cup in 1973, where he scored 118 and took two wickets in the final against Australia at Edgbaston. She was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2012, becoming the third female cricketer (after Rachel Heyhoe Flint and Belinda Clark) to be awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours. At 82, he is still playing cricket!

Lisa Sthalekar (Australia, 2001 2013)

A prolific right-handed batsman and off-spinner, the former Australian captain was considered the best in the world when the rankings were first introduced. His story is different from the usual journey to cricket. After being placed in an orphanage in Pune as a child, he was adopted by an American family who eventually settled in Sydney – where his love affair with cricket was strengthened.

Successful at domestic level, Sthalekar was called up to Australia’s ODI team in 2001. Although he did not shine initially, he developed as a cricketer and scored 416 runs in eight Tests, 2728 runs in 125 ODIs and 769 runs in 54 ODIs, including one Test century. ODI hundreds. The off-spinner also got 23 Test and 146 ODI wickets, including a five-wicket haul in both. His game sealed a nail-biting victory for the Australians in the final of the 2019 T20 World Cup. He is now a respected commentator and is often found providing information on international games from Test matches to World Cups for both men and women.

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