GOAT in Women’s Cricket: The Greatest Women's Cricket Player

GOAT, which is the short form of Greatest of All Time, is a tag given to a player who has made some unforgettable contributions in their respective sport. Since the start of professional women’s cricket in the mid 20th century, many players across the globe have made tremendous efforts to make their country proud and to lift the game too. Such players have carved their names in the books of history and will live in the hearts of the fans forever. They are the ‘Greatest of All Time’ as such, players are best among the best, and they truly hold the grace gifted by God. 

So, in this article by ZAP, let’s look at the greatest Women’s cricket player of all time, the GOAT of Women’s Cricket. 

The Greatest Batswomen of all time:

If we talk about records, nobody can surpass Mithali Raj. With some 10,000 odd runs under her belt, Mithali played international cricket as a pillar for the Indian Women’s Cricket Team. She has made huge contributions to the game and is a big reason why a young girl in India dreams  to pick up the cricket bat in her early years. ESPN, too, ranks her as the greatest female cricketer of all time. She is the highest run scorer in women’s international cricket. The perfection with which she used to sweetly time the ball was unmatched. For a very long time, she was the face of cricket in India.

Charlotte Edwards, too, had a remarkable career. She played 23 test matches, 191 One day internationals, and 95 T20 internationals for England. She has played the maximum number of WODIs appearances for England. She was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2022. Her contribution to the game was massive. Under her leadership, England won the 2009 Women’s Cricket World Cup, the 2009 ICC Women’s World T20, and three Ashes series.

Credit: ESPN Cricinfo

Meg Lanning’s sharp tactics have not only made her the most prolific captain but also one of the greatest batters of all time. She has been smashing all batting records for a very long time. She took an early retirement, at the age of 31, already conquering all the milestones. It would be unfair if we talked about her individual stats and not about her achievements as captain. She led Australia in 5 successful World Cup campaigns and is without a doubt one of the greatest captains in women’s cricket history.  She took bold decisions and always carried that sigma attitude of the ground.

Belinda Clark was a right hand batter who played for Australia. She was the first player to score a double century in a WODI. She led Australia for eleven years, with a winning percentage of 83%. She, too, has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. Her contribution to cricket is not limited to playing only; she often took administrative roles in Cricket Australia and the ICC’s Women’s Committee and thus helped in the development of the game from outside too. 

The competition is tough, and picking one is even tougher, but you cannot look past the dominance Meg Lanning has shown in every format of the game while also being the greatest captain in women’s cricket. So, for the impact she has had with the bat, she is the GOAT of women's cricket in batting. 

The greatest bowler of all time in Women’s Cricket:

Jhulan Goswami is everyone’s favourite in India. Not only is she a lethal bowler, but she is also a gentle and kind hearted human. Her charisma is admired by all. She played for India for nearly two decades and was one of the best players on the team throughout her career. She holds the record for most wickets in WODI with 255. 

Diana Edulji is one of the most respected names in women’s cricket. He is the third highest wicket taker in Tests. She played cricket in the late 90’s, a time when very few people knew about women’s cricket. Due to this, she faced a lot of reluctance at the initial stage of her career. 

She often stood for the rights of women and often promoted equality. Her name was inducted in ICC’s Hall of Fame in 2023. 

There’s only one pick here, and that’s Jhulan Goswami. She is the greatest bowler of all time in women’s cricket. With the longevity and fitness she has shown, even being one of India's frontline pacers at age 35, Jhulan Goswami was a specimen. 

The greatest all rounder of all time in women’s cricket:

Credit: Scroll.in

Australia’s Ellyse Perry is every cricketer in this generation‘s favourite. When she bowls, she is witty and quick, when she bats, she is powerful and smart. Her fielding, too, is perfect. Now, if we talk about her records, they are exceptional too. Perry has been a key player on the Australian team for a long time now. She holds a number of records by her name. She has scored the highest runs in a test match by an Australian player, 213 not out. 

She doesn’t even have a competition when we talk about the greatest all rounder of all time in women’s cricket. Ellyse Perry is truly the GOAT All Rounder of women’s cricket. 

Conclusion:

There are many players who have not made our top picks but have done exceptionally well for their teams, both with the bat and the ball. Players like Suzie Bates, Alyssa Healy, Heather Knight, Harmanpreet Kaur, Sophie Devine, and many more deserve so much more credit and recognition than they do. But when it comes to the absolute GOATs in women’s cricket across the different departments, the above were our picks.

Now that you have read about the GOAT of Women's Cricket, here are some more articles we recommend you read about:

GOAT of Cricket | Who is the best All Rounder Ever | Sachin Tendulkar - God of Cricket