First-Ever Female Cricketer Statue to Be Displayed at SCG

Cricket Australia made the announcement on International Women's Day.

Across Australia, there are 73 statues and sculptures of male cricketers. Guess how many there are of female cricketers? Zero.

However, Cricket Australia is looking to change this imbalance, announcing on International Women’s Day that the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will be the first location in the country to house a statue of a female cricketer.

Cricket Australia did not reveal which player was set to receive to honour of being immortalised in statue form, but speculation is rife already about possible recipients.

Betty Wilson, who some consider to be the greatest female cricketer of all time, stands a good chance of getting the nod, as does former women’s test captain Belinda Clark.

The Gregory sisters—the ladies who founded the first women’s cricket team in 1886—and current superstar player Ellyse Perry round out the list of potential candidates.

Side note: do yourself a favour and check out the Gregory sisters' story. Playing the first-ever women's cricket game caused quite the stir. In fact, according to the ABC, those in attendance wrote to local newspapers claiming women playing cricket was "unacceptable" and that people “might see a flash of women’s legs in public."

Accompanying the new statue is an all-new working group focusing on public recognition of women in cricket. The group, aptly named the Recognition of Women in Cricket Working Group, have set goals on highlighting the rich cricketing history of women in Australia.

Rina Hore, one member of the group and Executive Director of the Bradman Foundation, was ecstatic about the announcement.

“When I was told about the statue, I could have cried. It is such an important announcement because once you get that first statue, others will follow,” she told cricket.com.au.

“This will be a gamechanger again for acceptance of women’s cricket.”

The group have identified that statues aren’t the only thing on their agenda. They will pursue naming sporting grounds after famous sporting women too. (We’d low-key love to see a Cathy Freeman stadium.)

It’s no secret that Australia could do better in recognising the efforts of women in all areas of life. Taking Australia’s religious devotion to sport into account, acknowledging women in sport is a fantastic way to drive the conversation forward and balance the playing field.

The announcement caps off a remarkable 12 months for women’s cricket, with last year’s final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup drawing 86,174 fans to the MCG to watch Australia beat India.

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