Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj on Sunday became the first woman and the third cricketer ever to participate in six ICC Women’s Cricket World Cups.
The leading Indian in the opening game of her World Cup campaign in New Zealand, the 39-year-old could only manage nine runs off 36 balls as she was caught by Pakistan’s Diana Baig off Nashra Sandhu on Sunday.
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In doing so, Mithali ensured that the record ushered in a new decade – former Pakistan cricketer Javed Miandad appeared in the first six Men’s Cricket World Cups between 1975 and 1996, starting his World Cup career in 1992 with Sachin Tendulkar lamps.
By the time Tendulkar’s fairy-tale came to an end in 2011, Mithali had already captained India in the World Cup after making her tournament debut in 2000.
Records as captain keep coming, according to the ICC, the right-handed batsman has now captained Australian legend Belinda Clark in her fourth ICC Women’s World Cup – Clarke’s tenure from 1993 to 2005.
Clarke and Mithali are the only two players to have captained their country in more than two World Cups.
But Mithali also considers her fellow batsman to be the period between captaining her country for the first time and last taking it to 17 years, with the Australian’s tenure as captain turning 12 years.
And it’s not just her captaincy that’s breaking records – her World Cup career now spans more than two decades, with no women playing in the ICC Women’s World Cup in more than 20 years.
It was New Zealand Debbie Hockley who previously set the record for her debut with her last match in the 2000 final on 23 December, 24 days after Mithali’s debut on 10 January 1982.
And it is the norm that Mithali, 39, constantly finds herself in the middle – only Hawkley (45) and England’s John Brittin (36) have played more World Cup games.
After making six appearances in the World Cup, Raj surpasses the England pair of Charlotte Edwards, Claire Taylor and Hawkley, who are the only other women to have made five appearances at the Women’s World Cup.
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