The shortest format of the game, 20-20, has breathed life into women’s cricket with the gaga over franchise cricket. Women’s franchise cricket in India is the new tournament in the town and has caught the attention of cricket fans.
Unlike men’s cricket, what caught the attention of the fans globally was the Women’s One-Day international cricket. The grind in Women’s ODI is higher compared to that of men’s ODI cricket. Not only have competitive totals been scored, but below-par, scores have been defended. This has been possible only because of the quality of bowling in the limited overs format.
In this article, we shall look at the top three highest wicket-takers in Women’s ODI:
One of the players to inspire an entire generation of women cricketers, Cathryn Fitzpatrick stands in the third position in the number of highest wicket-takers in the ODI format. The Australian international has 180 wickets from 109 games. Cathryn Fitzpatrick had a strike rate of 3.01 and an economy of 33.4.
In a career spanning 14 years, Cathryn Fitzpatrick had four five-wicket hauls in the limited-overs format. Back in the day, she was the first woman cricketer to pick 150 wickets in the ODI format. She ended her career on high with two World Cups in her kitty.
The Proteas fast-medium bowler, Shabnim Ismail, is the second-highest wicket-taker in the Women’s ODI cricket. Shabnim Ismail has picked 191 wickets from 127 games at a strike rate of 32.3. The bowler maintained a healthy economy of 3.7 across her cricket career.
The player from Cape Town has served the South African women’s team for 15 years. The career was not smooth and had controversy in it. They suspended the player for a brief time in 2014 owing to an alcoholic brawl. However, the player came back strong to finish her career on high with 190+ wickets.
Drumrolls!!!! The highest wicket-taker in the Women’s ODI is Jhulan Goswami from India. Hailing from Bengal, Jhulan Goswami represented India for two decades. In 204 ODI games, Jhulan has picked up 255 wickets at an economy rate of 3.37. The right-arm fast-medium bowler has two five-wicket hauls in her career.
Making her debut at the tender age of 19, Jhulan Goswami has won several accolades. She has won Women’s Cricketer of the Year (2007), the Arjuna Award (2010) and Padma Shri (2012).