Lisa Sthalekar, the former Australian captain, a voice is well known in the commentary box, and a two-time awardee of the prestigious Belinda Clarke Award is has now become the First woman President of the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA).
The stalwart of cricket and a highly experienced leader both on-field and off the field has been an independent director of FICA and a part of the Australian cricketer’s Association board along with numerous records and indispensable contribution to women’s cricket was confirmed as the President at the FICA executive committee meeting held at Nyon, Switzerland.
Sthalekar has represented Australia in 187 International matches and was a key contributor in Australia’s 2010 T20 World Cup Victory. After making her debut in 2003, she went on to score 2728 runs in 125 ODI matches with a couple of centuries and 16 half-centuries to her name. After her retirement in 2013, she still remains among the top 10 wicket-takers in the 50 overs format. Her off-spin skills were surely something to watch out for having her name in the top 10 list even after almost a decade of her retirement. She had ended her cricketing career as a player in 2013 as a World Cup winner having defeated West Indies in the finals where she also took 2 wickets for 20 runs.
GREAT NEWS!
The former Australia captain Lisa Sthalekar was confirmed for the role at the FICA Executive Committee meeting held in Nyon, Switzerland.
Congratulations @sthalekar93 ❤️#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/ZVTpcY1oBj
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 21, 2022
Lisa in 2021, became only the fourth woman to be inducted into the prestigious Australian cricket Hall of Fame.
“Lisa was clearly the best candidate and her credentials are unparalleled as both a former player and broadcaster,” FICA’s executive chairman Heath Mills said.
On being given this responsibility, Sthalekar said, “I’m extremely honored and excited to be FICA’s new president”. We are entering a new phase of the game which covers more cricket than ever before for our male and female players. More countries are playing the game which demonstrates that cricket is certainly becoming a global game”.
Cricket has always been one of the favorite sports of billions across the world and is growing faster and getting bigger every single day. Lisa Sthalekar being appointed the first woman president is a huge game-changer in itself for cricket in general and women’s cricket in particular.
“I look forward to working on behalf of our member players’ associations and players, and in particular to working with the ICC to ensure that all players have their rights protected and can work in partnership with administrators to make our game even better,” Lisa added.
It will not be an exaggeration to say that the cricketing world is in very experienced and safe hands and Sthalekar’s expertise is certain to take player’s welfare, cricket associations and the game per se to greater heights.
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