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A new statue will be unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday and, for the first time, it will be a female cricketer.
Cricket fans feverishly debated whose statue the mystery would be, with legendary New South Wales figures Belinda Clark, Ellyse Perry and Lisa Sthalekar coming up as the best candidates.
Others preferred to see cricketers from many moons ago, figures like Betty Wilson and Margaret Peden, who ensured that the next generations had a platform to play the game they loved.
Belinda Clark and Ellyse Perry are two giant figures in Australian women’s cricket who, according to fans, could be the first female statue.
I hope they start at the beginning, Margaret Peden, the first Australian female captain. Then, work your way through a long list of deserving women for years to come,” noted statistician Rick Eyre posted on Twitter.
‘Ellyse Perry should get one, but I don’t think any player should get this kind of praise while they’re still playing. Once fully retired,” wrote another.
Ahead of Thursday’s presentation, Daily Mail Australia takes a look at potential players who could be immortalized.
belinda clark
Belinda Clark is the most likely candidate to be immortalized as a statue in the SCG given her incredible standing and legacy in the game that continues to this day.
The most obvious candidate for the first statue seems to be the legendary Belinda Clark. A pioneer of the game both on and off the field, Clark is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time.
She was the first player, of either gender, to score a double century in an ODI, and she captained Australia to two World Cup titles, as well as seven national championships.
Not only was Clark the best manager averaging 46 in 118 ODIs and 15 Tests; she was the more modest and well-spoken role model for boys at a time when women’s cricket was finally beginning to gain some traction in the public eye as fans became aware of the talent there was to watch.
His enormous contribution to Australian cricket continues to this day, with the legend immediately moving seamlessly into significant off-field roles after retirement. After coaching elite youngsters, Clark, who attended Harvard Business School, took a leading role at Cricket Australia, before managing the Australian Cricket Academy in Brisbane, responsible for dozens of talented players making their mark. international debut.
She has also been on the International Cricket Council women’s committee for over a decade and is in Australia’s Sports Hall of Fame for her incredible contribution to the sport.
His flawless cover unit would make a brilliant pose for a statue.
Betty Wilson
Betty Wilson, pictured batting for England in 1951, was one of the greatest cricketers in the entire world and paved the way for many more cricketers after her.
One of the best all-rounders to play, Wilson was the first cricketer of either gender to score a century and take 10 wickets in a Test. The right-handed batsman, spinner and brilliant fielder represented Australia on both sides of World War II, and she was the first female cricketer to be inducted into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame.
His 862 runs @ 57 and 68 wickets @ 11 from just 11 Tests highlight exactly how special his talent was. She paved the way for the Clarks, Perrys and Lannings of future generations.
ellyse perry
No doubt Perry, who will go down as one of our greatest cricketers, will one day be immortalized in bronze outside the SCG. The 32-year-old was the youngest player of any gender to make her international debut for Australia when she came in with a bang as a 16-year-old who was quickly torn apart.
There really isn’t anything he hasn’t accomplished in the game, and he still has many years left in his incredible career. Not only is she a brilliant cricketer, like Clark, but Perry has been a fantastic role model as female cricketers enjoy greater visibility and appreciation from fans, and she has inspired a generation of cricketers. Little ‘Fish’s.
Ellyse Perry will go down in history as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, but her career is far from over and much remains to be done.
She holds the record for the highest score (213*) in a women’s event, won seven World Cups with Australia; and she dominated at the state level with 11 WNCL championships and two WBBL titles with the Sixers. There really isn’t any facet of the game that she doesn’t rightfully claim as the best in the world.
I’m not sure his time is now, but there will come a day and the kids will enjoy an impromptu game of cricket in the future Pez statue.
lisa shalekar
Sthalekar is on the committee that decided who would be the inaugural female statue, but hey: she’s as qualified as anyone.
The off-spin all-rounder was also one of the best fielders Australia has ever produced, and was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2020. The first woman to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in ODIs, ‘Shaker ‘ was the consummate professional who won multiple world titles for the country behind her own back.
Lisa Sthalekar was an in-game superstar for the Sydney Sixers, NSW and Australia, and her legacy has continued well beyond her playing days as a lead commentator and former elite development coach.
Like Clark, Sthalekar hasn’t just done it all on the cricket field; he has made sure the game continues to improve during his retirement. After many years developing female cricketers at CricketNSW, the talented commentator now travels the world commenting and sharing her incredible cricket brains for all the world to hear.
margaret peden
Peden, who has a junior league named after her in several Australian states, was Australia’s first female captain and founded the Australian Women’s Cricket Council back in 1930.
Simply put, the women’s game Down Under wouldn’t exist without Peden. the talented
zoe goss
WA all-rounder Zoe Goss made the world sit up and take notice when she knocked out Brian Lara in a charity game at the SCG in 1994.
While Goss is a Western Australian personality, his most iconic moment came on the SCG in 1994 when he took out one of the best batsmen to ever play: Brian Lara.
The imposing quick was also strong with bat in hand, giving women’s cricket one of its first iconic moments in the public eye. Unfortunately for Goss, she would have been turned into a statue in her home state by now if it wasn’t for the ridiculous misogyny of a bunch of old male WACA members.
faith tomas
Indigenous cricketers Faith Thomas (left) and Ash Gardener (right) have put many youngsters to the test
Thomas played just one Test for Australia, but his legacy transcends what he did on a sports field.
When Faith Thomas stepped onto the grass at Melbourne’s Junction Oval for her Test debut in 1958, she became the first Indigenous woman to represent Australia in ANY sport.
The indigenous nurse was a dominant force on the Adelaide grade cricket scene during the 1950s, and while statistics on her impact on the pitch are a bit scant, what is clear is that her legacy transcends the picket fence. and has inspired First Nations peoples around the world. Australia.
And it made it possible for players like current indigenous superstar Ash Gardener to thrive on the grandest of stages.