By Rinshi Ansari
Men’s cricket has come a long way with the ongoing advancement in the sport and the introduction of new game systems. But just like the men’s squad, the women’s cricket team has recently produced some fantastic players.
Their battle for a spot on the team is genuine. Here are some of the top female cricketers who have achieved success both in and outside of the game.
Let us first say that these women have worked incredibly hard to become great before you read these motivational anecdotes. And by producing results from their laborious work.
Sophie Molineux, an Australian native, became well-known through cricket. The Australian Cricket team’s left-arm orthodox bowling all-rounder, who is 24 years old, is a champion. Despite not being the fastest, Sophie Molineux is one of the best bowlers. She made her debut in 2020 by catching three wickets and scoring 80 runs against the opposite team. Despite having a corked thigh in 2020 and a shoulder ailment in 2019, she persevered in being a driving force behind victory for her team.
On October 15, 2016, Sophie Molineux made her WNCL debut for Victoria against the ACT Meteors at the WACA. She bowled ten overs with figures of 0/34 and helped Victoria win by nine wickets. She took out Heather Graham in her second game against the Western Fury for her first WNCL wicket, and she concluded with figures of 3/41 as Victoria went on to win by seven wickets. She top-scored for her team in a 29-run loss to the Queensland Fire at Casey Fields a month later with an innings of 55 off 90 balls, her first half-century. With a total of seven wickets at an average of 20.71 to cap off her impressive debut domestic campaign, Molineux won the first-ever Allan Border Medal at the 2017 presentation by winning the inaugural Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year Award.
On January 21, 2020, Molineux delivered her first Player of the Match performance, taking 3/33 with the ball and scoring 80 runs with the bat in a five-wicket win against Tasmania at the TCA Ground.
One of the best and youngest South African women’s cricket players is Laura Wolvaardt. This 23-year-old opening batter competes for the Western Province women’s team, South Africa women’s team, Barmy Army, Adelaide Strikers, and Barmy Army.
Since making her debut in 2016 against England, she has played for teams that have a number of match records under their belts.
Since Laura graduated from Parklands College in 2017 with the highest grade in her class, she has also demonstrated academic excellence. She has won numerous awards and was listed among the top female cricketers of the year in 2020.
Her career was disrupted by her desire to study medicine and cricket. Before turning 20, she participated in roughly 64 different international matches.
If you are a fan of women’s cricket, you may have heard the name Harmanpreet Kaur frequently. This 33-year-old Indian batting all-rounder made her ODI debut against Pakistan in 2009, but it was during a women’s test match against England that she first found her long-distance capabilities.
One of the top all-rounders on the women’s cricket team, she has four international centuries and one T20 century.
She began playing cricket because of her father’s passion for the game. Later, before her trainer took his place, her father offered her the first stages of cricket training.
Kaur joined the academy even though the training facility was 30 km from her home because she knew that cricket was her future.
Mithali Raj, the best batter in India, has accomplished many notable feats throughout the course of her illustrious international career, which has lasted more than 20 years. The only significant distinction that the current ODI captain lacks is the title of World Cup winner, despite being the player with the most runs in the game and the only Indian captain, male or female, to have guided the team to two 50-over World Cup finals. Raj, who last captained the team in the format during the 2016 T20 World Cup at home, retired from Twenty20 Internationals in September 2019 as India’s leading run-scorer.
Raj made her ODI debut at age 16 and hit an undefeated 114, quickly cementing her position as India’s batting talisman. Her early talent, which grew under the guidance of her previous coach, the late Sampath Kumar, and a structured upbringing in an army household, were the foundations of her copybook stroke play. She was passionate about Bharatanatyam, and this love showed in her nimble footwork, which became as much a trademark of her batting as grace and unmatched accuracy at snatching runs in the cover region.
Two generations of Indian batters have drawn inspiration from her for their technical proficiency and capacity to lead an innings at the top of the order in all three forms. Her greatest Test score of 214, in 2002, and later an unbeaten 91 in the 2005 ODI World Cup semifinal—a knock she puts on par with her double-century—were both supported by both of these abilities.
Raj beat former England captain Charlotte Edwards to become the most prolific ODI run-scorer and the first female to reach 6000 runs during the 2017 ODI World Cup. Her 409 total runs in the competition were second only to England’s opening batswoman Tammy Beaumont’s, and her three fifty-run innings and a century were crucial to India’s runners-up result.
Raj became involved in a dispute during the Caribbean T20 World Cup in 2018 as a result of being left out of the semi-final. She decried T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to back her expulsion and accused then-head coach Ramesh Powar of unfair and discriminating behaviour.
Raj, 36, became the first woman to play two decades of ODI cricket in October 2019.
Sophie Ecclestone, an English cricket player who competes for Manchester Originals and the England women’s squad, was born on May 6, 1999.
She was named the Emerging Player of the Year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in December 2018. She was ranked as the best bowler in women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) cricket at the conclusion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in March 2020.
Ecclestone received the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for June 2021 in July 2021.
She has the unusual distinction of representing her nation in both football and cricket. She originally tried cricket at the age of 16 before moving on to play professional football for her nation. The 2009 Women’s World Cup saw Perry make her debut, making her the youngest Australian cricket player to have participated in the international competition.
Perry competes in domestic competition for New South Wales Women. She debuted in an ODI match against New Zealand in 2007 and has since been a consistent starter for the team. Her greatest bowling performance came in 2012 when she bowled five wickets for just 19 runs while playing against India in Mumbai. She can also bat lower in the order and is a useful batsman. She can also contribute significantly as a useful hitter lower in the order.
In the few games she has played, including her Test debut against England in 2008, she has performed admirably.
Perry first caught people’s attention on her T20I debut against England in Melbourne. She contributed to Australia’s winning the game with an undefeated 25-ball 29 and a follow-up 4/20 with the ball. She also won Player of the Match honours for her outstanding bowling effort in Australia’s 3 run victory against New Zealand in the 2010 Women’s World T20 final.
Ellyse Perry made history by becoming the first Australian woman to play in both the cricket and football World Cups.
Jhulan Goswami is a name that frequently comes up while discussing all-arounders. She is one of the all-time quickest female bowlers, and her speed determines how she plays. Among her other accomplishments are being crowned the ICC Women’s Player of the Year in 2011 and being ranked number one in 2016.
South Africa is one of her favourite teams to play, and she has taken the most wickets in women’s ODIs. Goswami consistently steals the show because of her outstanding performances, and she keeps taking control of the action whenever it’s possible.
Even if it’s difficult to stop once you start talking about Shashikala Siriwardene’s records and accomplishments, it’s difficult to discuss her without mentioning them. A record of 100 wickets, more than 100 runs scored, and being the best player on the field are just a few of Siriwardene’s accomplishments.
Siriwardene, a former international player, led Sri Lanka during both of its tournament runs in the Cricket World Cup. Additionally, she has consistently been chosen to represent her side in local play, and Sri Lankan teams are rarely found without her name on the roster.
Additionally, Siriwardene has competed for the Sri Lankan navy in domestic events, and as you can imagine, she was one of the top athletes in the field. Every time she chooses to play, she is able to do things her way and implement a strategy that is beneficial. In addition to playing cricket, Siriwardene worked as an assistant in human resources for a textile company.
Consequently, that gives you a clear understanding of her path to the game and how she was able to enter and make an impression.
Another name in cricket that is easy to include in a list of the best is Sana Mir. She has led her squad in ODI and Twenty20 international matches. She was the captain of her squad and is on this list because she has always played the game with accuracy.
The 100 wickets she has claimed in World Twenty20 have inspired her to work harder and advance, because why stop when you can keep winning and being the best?
Her extraordinary career continues to motivate people and inspire them to work toward their ambitions. She he the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings, a first for Pakistani women’s cricket.
In addition, Mir contributed to Pakistan’s two gold medals and its continued success in cricket. Her eventual success and mastery of the game are unique qualities that have helped to reveal who she truly is. She has consistently ranked among the top 20 ICC players for nine years running.
Stafanie Roxann Taylor, who was born in Jamaica on June 11th, 1991, is another name well-known in the world of cricket, mostly for being among the finest. She has played more than 80 times for her country and is one of the top right-handed batters on her team, and certainly any squad she chooses to join.
Taylor has always been at the forefront of records as she demonstrates how to set and break them. She was the first woman to score 1,000 runs. She joined the West Indies squad at the age of 17, and she still completely controls every game.
Taylor, who has played in over 100 international matches, is deserving of all the cheers and accolades that are directed at her because, for someone who has amassed over 3,000 runs in T20 international cricket, cheers aren’t enough.