The recent Women’s World T20 tournament that was held in the Caribbean will be remembered as a revolution in women’s cricket. Most of the players that were involved in the World T20 tournament are presently playing in the Australia Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). Among the overseas international players are West Indies Women’s captain Stafanie Taylor and vice-captain Hayley Matthews.
Women’s Big Bash has had some diversification in recent times, with Indian players participating. In addition to the Women’s World Cup and Women’s Big
Mithali Raj is the leading run scorer in Women’s ODI
Bash, the Kia Super League in England is a major women’s tournament. The inaugural Women’s Caribbean Premiere League (WCPL) is certainly not too far away.
Top performers in Women’s Cricket
The current women cricketers look up to New Zealand player Suzie Bates, who is already considered a legend of the women’s game. Bates is the leading run scorer in women’s T20 Internationals, with 3007 runs to her credit; in contrast with Martin Guptill’s 2271 runs leading the batting chart in the men’s game. Bates has played 108 T20 Internationals, averaging 30 and scoring 20 half centuries and one T20 century. The 31-year-old Bates is the joint record holder of most T20 Internationals played in men’s and women’s T20 Internationals, tied with Shoaib Malik on 108 matches.
Calm and composed in character, West Indies Women’s captain Stafanie Taylor is
Amelia Keer is the youngest person to ever score a ODI double century across men’s and women’s cricket
the second leading run scorers on the T20 International batting charts, having scored 20 half centuries and 2748 runs in 93 matches, and being regarded as among the better captains in world cricket.
In addition to her extraordinary batting, Stafanie Taylor bowls staggering off-spin, and is ranked fourth among the leading bowlers in the history of Women’s T20 Internationals.
Taylor’s counterpart, Australian captain Meg Lanning, is among the leading T20 batters, having scored 2315 runs, among which are one century and 12 half centuries.
Windies batter Deandra Dottin, the only woman with two centuries in Women’s T20 Internationals, has the fastest women’s T20 century, made off just 38 balls.
The year 2018 has been a run-fest for Suzie Bates, who scored the most runs in a calendar year: 670; while India’s T20 captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, has 663 runs in
Suzie Bates is the leading run scorer in T20I across men’s and women’s cricket
T20 this year.
With 99 matches to her name, the illustrious Anisa Mohammed is the leading wicket-taker in T20 Internationals, with 113 wickets. The West Indies spin queen has the most five-wicket hauls in Women’s T20 Internationals, with her best bowling performance seeing her snare 5 wickets for just 10 runs.
Australia’s Ellyse Perry has taken 100 wickets, and is considered an outstanding all-rounder in women’s T20.
Anisa Mohammed, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole and Pakistan’s Sana Mir are the few bowlers who have registered hat tricks in Women’s T20 Internationals.
Mithali Raj, the most consistent performer in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and perhaps the women’s cricket version of Sachin Tendulkar, has 6550 runs in 197 ODIs, averaging 51.17, which is beyond imagination. Raj leads the top 10 leading run scorers’ table, which includes Suzie Bates and Stafanie Taylor.
On June 13, 2018, New Zealand’s Amelia Keer smashed a record breaking 232* in a Women’s ODI game; and what is mind-blowing about that feat is that she was
Anisa Mohammed is the leading wicket taker in T20I
then only 17 years old.
India’s suave and unruffled seam bowler Jhulan Goswami has taken the most wickets in Women’s ODI — 207 wickets. Windies women’s stalwart Anisa Mohammed is ranked third, with 146 ODI wickets; while Sana Mir, Katherine Brunt and Ellyse Perry are among the leading wicket takers.
Cricket is not a game only for gentlemen, it has greatly evolved and is continuously developing into a women’s game. Women’s cricket is still in its formative stage, but already young aspiring girls around the globe see themselves becoming the next Mithali Raj or the future Suzie Bates.
