Photo Credit: Sydney Sixers
Lisa Sthalekar has been inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame.
Part of the Sydney Sixers’ inaugural Women’s Big Bash team, Sthalekar played two seasons in magenta to complete an astonishing career on the field that included 3,913 runs and 229 wickets for Australia across eight Tests, 125 One-Day Internationals and 54 Twenty20 Internationals.
The off-spinning allrounder was an integral part of the Sixers squad that won the WBBL|02 title. Sthalekar claimed 19 wickets at 20 for the Sixers replicating similar averages she maintained at International level, never conceding more than 25 runs per wicket in any format.
Her contribution off the field has been just as significant.
Since her retirement as a player, Sthalekar has established herself as a leading commentator with Channel 7 in Australia and television networks around the world.
Lisa is also a champion of charitable causes, including The Chappell Foundation and Adopt Change, and serves on the board of the Australian Cricketers’ Association.
Sthalekar was a leading figure in a dominant era for the NSW Breakers that spanned almost two decades and included a remarkable 14 Women’s National Cricket League titles, five as captain.
She was recognised as Cricket Australia’s most outstanding female player in 2007 and 2008, when awarded the Belinda Clark Award and was a key member of four Would Cup-winning squads.
Sthalekar also won the Belinda Clark Medal as NSW Breakers Player of the Year on four occasions including in three successive seasons between 2005/06 and 2007/08.
She is regarded among the elite spin-bowling all-rounders to have played the game and has nurtured the next generation of cricketers in coaching roles with Mosman in Sydney Premier Cricket and the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
Sthalekar was inducted alongside former South African allrounder Jacques Kallis and Pakistan’s batsman Zaheer Abbas.
“I am deeply humbled to receive this honour. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that I would ever get to join such an illustrious group of players,” Sthalekar said.
“I was fortunate enough to learn from the best when I entered the Australia team – Belinda Clark, Karen Rolton and Cathryn Fitzpatrick, all of whom have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and rightly so.
“The guidance from them and other teammates along the way kept me focused but also ensured that it was a fun environment. Thanks to all my teammates.
“It goes without saying that if it wasn’t for the support of my family, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have.”
The ICC’s Hall of Fame inductees are decided by a nomination process and subsequent voting by an academy made up of current Hall of Fame members and prominent journalists.
Name of Author: Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers are an Australian professional Twenty20 cricket team competing in the Big Bash League (BBL). Based at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Sixers, along with the Sydney Thunder, succeeded the New South Wales Blues from the now-defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.
