Even though cricket is referred to as a gentleman’s game, the sport has seen some of the best women cricketers grace the field. There are many women cricketers who have left an indelible mark on the sport in its glorified history.
In this article, let’s take a look at the top 10 best women cricketers of all time.
1. Rachael Heyhoe Flint | England
Rachael played a pivotal role in revolutionising international cricket on and off the pitch. She was the captain of the England women’s team for over a decade, from 1966 to 1978.
Under her captaincy, England won the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1973, well before the Men’s World Cup took place. Rachael retired from international cricket in 1982 with over 20 years of career.
2. Charlotte Edwards | England
Like Rachael, Edwards also captained the England side for almost 10 years, from 2006 to 2016. She made her international debut at the age of just 16 against New Zealand in 1996.
Edwards had an illustrious career as a batter, having amassed 5992 runs in 191 ODIs, 2605 runs in 95 matches, and 1676 runs in 23 Tests. In the process, she also hit 13 international centuries — 9 in ODI and 4 in Tests.
3. Mithali Raj | India
Mithali Raj is one of the greatest women cricketers India has ever produced. In a career spanning over 23 years, she made many records in international cricket.
Raj led India to 2 World Cup finals, making her the only captain in Indian cricket history — male or female — to do so. She is the only women cricketer with over 10000 runs in international cricket. Raj ended her stupendous career with 7805 runs in 232 ODIs, 2364 runs in T20Is, and 699 runs in Tests, along with 8 hundreds — 7 in ODIs and 1 in Tests.
4. Ellyse Perry | Australia
Ellyse Perry has to be one of the best all-rounders the game has seen. Initially, she juggled between cricket and football, becoming the first woman to represent Australia in two different World Cups — the Cricket World Cup and the Football World Cup.
Perry is one of the few women cricketers who have scored 1000 runs and picked up 100 wickets in the ODI format. Since making her debut, she has been part of Australia’s ODI World Cup winning squad twice, the T20I World Cup winning squad on 6 occasions, and also won the gold medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
5. Meg Lanning | Australia
Meg Lanning is arguably one of the best captains in women’s cricket, having led Australia to one ODI World Cup triumph in 2022 and 4 T20I World Cup titles.
Apart from her brilliant captaincy, Lanning has left a mark with her excellent batting. So far, she has scored more than 8000 runs across formats and boasts over 15 international centuries.
Also Read | 10 Amazing Facts About Women’s Cricket You Should Know
6. Jhulan Goswami | India
Jhulan Goswami, one of the fastest pacers in women’s cricket history, has many accolades to her name. She has played an instrumental role in revolutionising women’s cricket in India and has inspired a lot of young girls to take up the sport.
In a career spanning over 2 decades, she scalped 255 wickets in ODIs, 56 wickets in T20Is, and 44 wickets in Tests. Goswami retired in 2022 from international cricket as the leading wicket-taker in women’s cricket, with 355 wickets to her name.
7. Cathryn Fitzpatrick | Australia
In a career of over 16 years, Cathryn Fitzpatrick gave hell to women batters with her electric speed. Her bowling was of such top quality that she conceded runs at an economy of 1.91 in Tests and 3.01 in ODIs.
In 2005, she became the first woman cricketer to claim 150 wickets in ODI format. Fitzpatrick ended her splendid career with 240 international wickets — 180 in ODIs and 60 in T20Is.
8. Sarah Taylor | England
Sarah Taylor’s top-notch wicketkeeping skills set her apart from her counterparts, making her one of the best wicketkeepers. Her wicketkeeping skills were well-complimented by her batting exploits for England in limited-overs cricket.
Taylor is one of the three women wicketkeepers who have amassed 2000 runs and 100 wicketkeeping dismissals in their careers. She retired with 6533 runs in her 13-year career.
9. Debbie Hockley | New Zealand
Debbie Hockley was the first women cricketer to reach the milestone of 4000 ODI runs and play 100 ODIs. In her 21-year career, which showcased her longevity, she ended up with 5365 runs and 8 centuries.
Hockley was part of the New Zealand women’s squad that lifted their maiden ODI World Cup title in 2000.
10. Belinda Clark | Australia
Australia’s former captain, Belinda Clark, brought a lot of laurels to her country under her able leadership. She led her team to 2 World Cup triumphs in 1997 and 2005.
Belinda’s contributions with the bat cannot be ignored, as she notched up 5767 runs in her career. She held the record for the highest individual scorer (229*) in ODIs for almost 20 years before Amelia Kerr broke it by scoring 232* in 2018.
