Few players
have dominated modern cricket in the same way the so-called ‘Fab Four’ of Joe
Root, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Virat Kholi have.
All four have
enthralled millions around the globe with their insane talent and marvelous batting – but which four female cricketers have shaken the modern cricketing
world in the same way?
4) Meg
Lanning
One of the
cleanest ball-strikers in world cricket, Meg Lanning has stunned the cricketing
world time after time with a number of breath-taking batting displays.
Nicknamed
‘Serious Sally’, her sharp cricketing brain and brilliant batting earnt her the
Australian captaincy in 2014, when she was just 21 years old. Since then
Lanning has led the Southern Stars to the top of the world – Australia are
currently first in both the Test and T20 world rankings.
Few players
are as decorated as the ‘Megastar’; Lanning is a 5 times world champion and has
3 Ashes titles under her belt, as well as the accolades of being the first Australian to score 2,000 runs in T20
internationals and the fastest cricketer to 13 ODI centuries.
What’s even more impressive is the
fact that she’s just 28.
3) Stephanie
Taylor
Some take a
while to reach their best, but not Stephanie Taylor.
The West Indian
all-rounder had hit 1000 ODI runs before her 20th birthday and made
her international debut when she was just 17 years old.
Few players
manage to truly master either batting or bowling, but Taylor is ridiculously
good at both; her batting average of 44 in ODIs is world class and her bowling
average of 23 is insanely low. In 2013 she became the first (and only)
cricketer in history to be ranked number one for both batting and bowling.
Her
individual brilliance often wasn’t backed up by her team. It was only in
2016, when she helped drag the West Indies to the 2016 World T20 title, that
she first got her hands on some silverware, and often Taylor has managed to
take down the opposition almost singlehandedly, such is her skill and talent.
Truly a once
in a generation cricketer.
2) Mithali
Raj
No female
cricketer has scored more international runs than Mithali Raj. She is
undoubtedly one of the greatest cricketers that India has ever produced, male
or female.
In an
illustrious career spanning over two decades, Raj has established herself as
the pillar of the Indian batting line up, with an average of 51.0 in tests,
50.64 in ODIs, 37.52 in T20s and over 10,000 international runs in all formats
of the game.
Her agile
footwork, glorious cover drive and elegant but precise stroke-play make her
batting not just effective, but beautiful to watch as well.
Ever since
her century on debut at 16 years old she has continued to delight Indian
cricket fans game upon game; perhaps the only thing that has evaded Mithali
Raj throughout her career is a fabled World Cup medal round her neck.
1) Elysse
Perry
Perhaps the
most complete player ever to play the game, Elysse Perry has a plethora of
skill and talent unmatched by almost any other cricketer on earth.
Outrageously
good with both bat and ball in hand, Perry is Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith
rolled into one; her batting average stands at 78.0 in tests (second only to
Bradman) and 52 in ODIs, and her bowling average is extremely low across all
formats: 18.19 in tests, 24.29 in ODIs and 19.37 in T20Is.
If that
wasn’t enough, the Aussie sporting sensation has also represented her nation in
a Football (Soccer) World Cup, before deciding to focus solely on cricket
shortly after, much to the delight of Australian cricket fans.
The greatest
female cricketer in the world and possibly ever, no female player has shaken
the world in quite the same way as Elysse Perry has.
******
Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more and please share with any fellow cricket fans. Who would make your ‘Fab Four’ of women’s cricket? Let me know your thoughts in the comments…
