Lisa Sthalekar, erstwhile Australia women’s team captain was inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame on 5th February 2021. Sthalekar, who was one of the finest all-rounders that women’s cricket has ever seen, went on to play eight Tests and 125 ODI’s that witnessed her amassing 416 and 2728 runs respectively. She was also a significant moniker in the shortest format of the sport that saw her playing 54 T20I’s. In the youngest sibling of the sporting formats, she managed to blast 769 runs. To underline her all-around brilliance she also has 200 international scalps next to her name.
She made her debut in international cricket in 2001 and her glittering career brags about two World Cups in the shorter versions of the game. In the 2012-13 World Cup that was hosted by India, she played an instrumental role with the ball in the hand, wringing out nine wickets at an excellent bowling average of just 20. However, as the famous maxim goes that you must know when to pull the plug, she pulled the plug on her international career right after winning the most glorious silverware in the cricketing canon.
She was also shouldered with the onus of leading Australia in three ODI’s against their continental and fiercest rival, New Zealand.
What others had to say about Lisa Sthalekar?
Peter King, Australian Cricket Hall of Fame chairman, cited, “Lisa Sthlalekar comfortably sits at the table of Women’s cricket trailblazers alongside Belinda Clark, Karen Rolton, and Melanie Jones, and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is delighted to welcome her as the latest inductee.”
He continued, “As the Australian Women’s Cricket Team conquers all before them, it has been Lisa’s passion and skill as a cricketer and her courage and determination in her post-cricket career that has driven elite standards of professionalism in the Women’s game. She left the sport as a four-time World Cup winner and a plethora of personal accolades, but has continued to advocate and champion the Women’s game as an administrator, commentator, and ambassador.”
Clea Smith, an erstwhile teammate of Sthalekar and Australian Cricketers’ Association board member quoted, “Lisa is a very worthy inductee into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. On the field, her stats with both bat and ball speak for themselves. She was one of the fiercest competitors going around but always managed to do it with a smile on her face. Off the field, she has been every bit as impressive, using her voice and influence to break through barriers and advance the women’s game from the grassroots through to the professional level. Young girls playing cricket today have a path to playing the game professionally thanks to people like Lisa who have helped pave the way.”
Mel Jones, a former teammate of Sthalekar, cited, “Lisa thoroughly deserves to be inducted in the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. She now rightfully sits among the absolute elite cricketers of the women’s game, joining Belinda Clark, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Betty Wilson, and Karen Rolton as members of both the Australian and ICC Cricket Halls of Fame.”
She concluded by saying, “I was fortunate enough to play with Lisa and witness her develop as an outstanding all-rounder in all three formats of cricket. Since retiring, Lisa has been a commentating mainstay around the world and not only continues to play an important role in building the profile of women’s cricket but more importantly is a strong voice across both the men’s and women’s game. This induction is a fantastic recognition of Lisa’s hard work and on behalf of Cricket Australia, I want to congratulate Lisa for her incredible contribution to the game on and off the field.”
