Women cricketers who excelled in other sports

To excel in international cricket takes talent, discipline and relentless determination. But for a select few women, success has not been confined to the cricket field alone.

Over the years, several past and present stars of women’s cricket have scaled the pinnacle of other sports too, with some even going on to stand on Olympic podiums.

Here are some of the most notable women who made their mark in sport beyond the cricket field.

Rachael Heyhoe Flint

Heyhoe Flint was captain of England between 1966 and 1978. In 1973, she also earned the distinction of becoming the first female cricketer to hit a six in a Test match.

The Wolverhampton native was instrumental in arranging the inaugural women’s cricket World Cup in 1973, which came two years before the first men’s World Cup.

Heyhoe Flint last played for England in the 1982 World Cup final and was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in October 2010.

During her 22-year international career, Heyhoe Flint also played field hockey for England in 1964 as a goalkeeper.

Ellyse Perry

One of the ultimate multi-sport specialists, Ellyse Perry made her international debut in both cricket and football at just 16.

In football, she turned out for Central Coast Mariners, Canberra United and Sydney FC, earning 18 caps for the Matildas and scoring against Sweden at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The youngest player to represent South Africa in an ODI when she made her debut aged just 17 years and 10 days, Sunette Viljoen won a silver medal in women’s javelin throw at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The Rustenburg native also won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and 2010.

Viljoen, who played cricket for her country between 2000 and 2002, featured in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2000 in New Zealand and made a return to the sport in 2021 with domestic side Northerns. She most recently played for Lions Women.

Tazmin Brits

South Africa’s Tazmin Brits qualified for the 2012 London Olympics in javelin throw but just eight months before the Games, she was involved in a horrific car accident, which resulted in her breaking her pelvis, dislocating her hip and rupturing her bladder.

Brits spent three months in hospital and had to learn how to walk again as she missed the London showpiece.

In 2018, however, Brits represented her country on the cricket field as she made her debut in a T20 against Bangladesh. She has since gone on to become a two-time ICC Women’s T20 World Cup runner-up.

Betty Snowball

Snowball enjoyed a 15-year international cricket career between 1934 and 1949 and also umpired one women’s Test in 1951.

In 1935, Snowball hit 189 against New Zealand in what was just the fourth-ever women’s Test. Her score was the world record for the highest individual score at the time and wasn’t broken until 1986.

Away from cricket, Snowball represented Scotland in squash and lacrosse.

Jess Duffin

Jess Duffin (née Cameron) was the star of Australia’s triumph at the 2013 Women’s World Cup in India, top scoring in the final and earning the Player of the Match award.

In the years that followed, she combined cricket with Australian Rules football, representing Collingwood, North Melbourne and Hawthorn, before retiring from cricket in 2023.

She also made history as the first player to benefit from Cricket Australia’s parental leave scheme after the birth of her first child.

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