Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Cricket was a gentleman’s game where females only enjoyed the match while watching from the gallery. But during early 1900s, the active participation of female athletes created a huge sensation. Amazing sportswomen began to give strong challenges to the male athletes in various forms of games in terms of skills. Even cricket was not far away, and women also started to dream about batting on the Lords. Before their appearance on the pitch, no one believed women could also hit a sixer or could take a marvelous catch. Now, most of the cricket playing countries have their own national female cricket teams, and to evaluate their standards, ICC Woman’s World Cup was also incorporated. So while keeping their contributions and achievements in mind, here is the list of top 10 best female cricketers of all time.
1. Betty Wilson
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Former Australian female cricketer Betty Wilson was a right-handed batsman, amazing right-arm off-spin bowler and a marvelous fielder. She is often considered as the greatest female cricket player of all time for her contribution towards woman’s cricket history. Betty played for Australia in two seasons, 1947–1948 and 1957–1958. She was born in Melbourne and started practicing cricket in the Collingwood Women’s Cricket Club at the age of 10. She started playing for Victoria second XI at the age of 14, and by 16, she was selected for the senior side. She scored 90 and took 4 wickets in the first inning and 6 wickets in second inning. Betty scored 862 runs in 11 tests with an average of 57.44 and took 68 wickets.
2. Belinda Clark
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Former female Australian cricketer Belinda Clark was the first female to score a double century in international championships. She scored 919 runs in 15 test matches with an average of 45.95, and 4844 runs in 118 ODI matches with an average of 47.49. She was the captain of the Australian women’s cricket team from 1994 to 2005, after which she retired. She was introduced to ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2011. Belinda was named Australian Woman Cricketer of the Year 1998 by Wisden. Besides her international career, she also appeared in one Women’s Twenty20 and 89 WNCL matches. She is the Australian record holder for highest Test and ODI runs and also for highest ODI appearances.
3. Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Former female Australian cricketer Cathryn Fitzpatrick is widely regarded as the world’s fastest women pace bowler for her 125 km/h bowling speed. She scored 152 runs and took 60 wickets in 13 Test matches and also achieved 651 runs and took 180 wickets in 109 ODI appearances. She debuted for Australia in 1991 and played till her retirement in 2006. Cathryn was the pioneer member of Women’s Cricket World Cup winner Australian team in 1997 and 2005. Cathryn was the first female cricketer to take 150 one-day wickets. She received the Australian International Woman Cricketer of the Year award in 2004, which was presented to her at the Allan Border Medal night.
4. Enid Bakewell
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Former female English cricketer Enid Bakewell is regarded as the best English all-rounder of woman’s cricket history. She was a right-handed batsman and an amazing slow left-arm bowler, and played 12 Test matches for the English women’s national cricket team from 1968 to 1979. She scored 1,078 runs and took 50 wickets in 12 Test matches and also achieved 500 runs and took 25 wickets in 23 ODI matches. She is the one of the only two female cricketers to have scored consecutive Test centuries. In her last international appearance, she became the first English player in both the male and female categories to score a century and take 10 wickets in the same Test. She was inducted to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2012.
5. Mithali Raj
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Captain of the Indian Women’s cricket team Mithali Raj is often considered as the best female batsman of all time. She holds the top position in ICC Best female batsman point table with 703 rating points. Mithali scored 114 not out against Ireland in her One Day International debut in 1999. She scored 572 runs in 8 test matches and 4,791 runs in 148 ODI matches, with an average of 52 and 50.43 respectively. She also took 8 wickets in ODIs with a bowling average of 11.37. Mithali holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian Woman Cricketer in a World Cup, with her 91 not out against NewZealand in 2005. She led her national team to Women’s Cricket World Cup final in 2005. She also received the Arjuna award in 2003.
6. Charlotte Edwards
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Captain of the English Women’s cricket team Charlotte Edwards is the only female cricketer to score 2,000 runs in International Twenty20 matches. She debuted in 1995 at the age of 16, and became the youngest player ever to play for English national team. Charlotte has already achieved 1621 runs in 21 test matches, 5,432 runs in 178 ODI matches and 2,055 runs in 75 T20 matches with an average of 47.50, 20.98 and 33.44 respectively. She has also taken 12 wickets in ODI, 54 wickets in Test matches and 3 wickets in international T20. Charlotte was inducted as one of the five Cricketers of the Year 2014 by Wisden. She received the post of Commander of the Order of the British Empire as an honor for her services towards cricket in 2014.
7. Stafanie Taylor
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Pioneer member of the West Indies women’s cricket team, Stafanie Taylor, is widely considered as the best female all-rounders in modern cricket. She is a superb right-handed batsman and also an amazing off break bowler. She was also the only woman to score half centuries in three consecutive Twenty20 matches. Stafanie debuted for the West Indies team at the age of 17 in 2008 and scored 90 runs from 49 balls in her T20 international debut. Till now, she achieved 1,927 runs in 49 ODI matches, and 872 runs in 33 T20 matches, with an average of 45.88 and 33.53, respectively. She has also bagged 61 ODI wickets and 33 T20 wickets till date. Stafanie was named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2011 and became the first West Indian female cricketer to achieve that honor.
8. Debbie Hockley
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Former female New Zealand cricketer Debbie Hockley captained New Zealand’s woman’s national team in 6 Test matches and 27 ODI matches. She scored 1,301 runs and took 5 wickets in 19 Test matches and also achieved 4,064 runs and took 20 wickets in 118 ODI matches. Debbie was the first female cricketer to achieve 4000 ODI runs and also the first female cricketer to appear in 100 ODI matches. She scored two centuries in Women’s World Cup, and she also holds the record of highest appearances in World Cups. Debbie was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 1999 New Year Honours for her contribution to female cricket. She was also inducted to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2013.
9. Lisa Carprini Sthalekar
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
Australian international cricketer Lisa CarpriniSthalekar also played for New South Wales in domestic leagues. She is a right-handed batsman and right-arm off spin bowler and is often considered as the finest all-rounder in the world. Lisa is the first female cricketer to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in One Day Internationals. Until her retirement after Australian team won the 2013 Women’s Cricket World Cup, she achieved 2,570 runs in 114 ODI matches and 720 runs in 51 T20 matches, with an average of 31.72 and 21.17, respectively. During her career, she also took 23 Test wickets, 135 ODI wickets and 59 T20 wickets. She was named Women’s International Cricketer of the Year for Australia in 2007.
10. Rachael Heyhoe Flint
Top 10 Best Female Cricketers of All Time
English former female cricketer Rachael Heyhoe Flint captained the England national female team from 1966 to 1978. She, as a captain, also led her national team to victory in the inaugural Women’s Cricket World Cup in 1973 England. Before her retirement, she held the world record for highest runs in Test matches by female cricketers. Rachael scored 1,594 runs in 22 test matches with an average of 45.54, and 643 runs in 23 ODI matches with an average of 58.45. Besides her cricket career, she also represented England in hockey as a goalkeeper. Rachael became the first woman to be elected to the full committee of MCC in 2004. She was also inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame as the first female cricketer in October 2010.
Many female cricketers of recent times are also making sensation in the major championships like ICC Woman’s World Cup. Ellyse Perry debuted in Australian cricket and football teams at the age of 16, which is indeed a record. Former Indian captain Jhulan Goswami, Pakistani captain Sana Mir and many other female cricketers from sub-continents have also achieved huge success over the course of their careers.
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