Veteran Australian batter Elyse Villani has extended her already remarkable legacy in domestic cricket by becoming the most-capped player in the history of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL), setting a new benchmark in Australia’s premier domestic one-day competition. Villani achieved the milestone during Tasmania Tigers’ recent match against Australian Cricket Territory (ACT) Meteors at Bellerive Oval, surpassing the previous record held by former Australian all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar with her 146th WNCL appearance.
The feat is a testament to Villani’s incredible longevity and passion for the women’s game. The 36-year-old has now represented three different teams over her WNCL career: beginning with her native Victoria, spending time with Western Australia, and more recently leading Tasmania as captain. Across all three teams, she has compiled a huge career total of more than 5,255 runs just 266 shy of overtaking Karen Rolton’s WNCL record of 5,521 runs indicating that even this record year may not be her last with the bat.
Speaking after her milestone match, Villani reflected on her long journey with characteristic humility and humour. “I think probably it was a deliberate ploy by people not to let me know that it was coming, because I did sort of take it for a bit of a ride on that second game,” she said, recalling the celebrations that followed the achievement. “The staff and the players were beautiful in the way that they helped celebrate that milestone … I made them all wear a floppy hat and basically made the day about me (laughs).”
Though she narrowly missed out on 100 international caps finishing her Australian career in 2019 in a transitional phase that prioritised all-rounders, Villani never lost her affection for the domestic game. After her international career ended, she continued to pile up runs and accolades domestically, leading the WNCL runs chart in the 2020–21 season and being recognised as Australia’s top domestic women’s player in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
But the sense of gratitude for being able to turn cricket into a profession keeps Villani’s child-like enthusiasm towards the game intact after all these years. “The way that I view myself is just someone who loves playing cricket, who loves being a part of a team,” she said. “And someone who just enjoys it and plays because once upon a time, there was this little girl playing in the backyard with her three older brothers, dreaming of representing her state and getting to play cricket.”
The move to Tasmania in 2021 reinvigorated her cricket journey. Although the switch was initially motivated by personal reasons — to join her partner in Hobart — it added fresh purpose to her playing days both on and off the field. Her leadership at Tasmania has been nothing short of transformative. Under her captaincy, the Tigers have enjoyed unprecedented success, claiming three consecutive WNCL titles and ending the state’s long wait for domestic honours. Villani’s influence was immediate and profound, lifting not just team performance but cultivating a winning culture within the squad.
Villani has also just brought down the curtain on her Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) career after leading Hobart Hurricanes to their first title in late 2025, a fairytale ending to her T20 chapter. Despite retiring from the WBBL, she has signalled that she may continue in the WNCL, saying she still feels capable of performing at this level while weighing life and professional priorities. As Villani contemplates the next steps, her record-breaking WNCL appearance milestone cements her status as one of domestic Australian cricket’s most enduring figures. Whether she adds more runs, further records or transitions fully into mentorship and leadership outside the boundary, her impact will be felt for years to come.
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