Sports are mostly male dominated games because society is male driven and women have to be in the system; this is the case with cricket. Cricket is the most watched and participated sport in India but all we know is men’s cricket and no one is interested in women’s cricket. Women are not behind men in modern cricket, some of them are even better.

But did you know that the earliest traces of women’s cricket date back to 1745 and the Women’s Cricket Association was formed in 1926? Yet women in our country, or anywhere in the world, are not getting the recognition they deserve. This article profiles the top 10 best female cricketers in the world right now.

10. Sana Mir (Pakistan)

Sana Mir is an ex-Pakistan cricketer who captained the Pakistan women’s national cricket team in ODIs and T20Is. She is the first Pakistani bowler to score 100 wickets in WODI. She is considered one of the best female cricketers in the world.

She led Pakistan to two gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. She is considered as one of the best bowlers in Pakistan.

9. Shashikala Siriwardene (Sri Lanka)

Shashikala is the former captain of the Sri Lanka women’s cricket team in WODI. She is the only female cricketer to take 100 ODI wickets in Sri Lanka’s WODI. Also, the only female cricketer to take 100+ wickets and score 1000+ runs in Sri Lanka’s WODI.

8. Megan Lanning (Australia)

Lanning captained the Australian cricket team for ODIs in 2014. At 20, she broke the record for fastest ODI 50s and 100s by an Australian female cricketer. She is Australia’s youngest century maker.

She is one of the best women’s cricketers in the world and holds the centuries-old record for the longest career in a women’s one-day international. Meg has also won many prestigious awards such as ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: 2015, ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year: 2014 and Wisden World Leading Women’s Cricketer: 2015.

7. Mithali Raj (India)

Mithali Raj is the top scorer in women’s international cricket and the only female cricketer to score more than 6,000 runs in a single day of women’s internationals. She is the first player to score seven consecutive 50 runs in ODIs.

She became the first Indian player (male or female) to score 20 runs in T2000I and the first female cricketer to reach the 2002 WT20I score. She is a role model for many Indian female cricketers and now, she is one of the best female cricketers in the world.

Mithali is the recipient of several national and international awards including World Leading Female Cricketer 2017, Arjuna Award 2003 and Padma Shri 2015, all presented by the Government of India.

6. Stafanie Roxann Taylor (West Indies)

Stafanie, who hails from Jamaica and is the current captain, was the first woman to score 1,000 runs in an ODI in the West Indies. In 2013, Taylor became the first player (male and female) to score No. 1 ODIs in both batting and bowling.

Lisa is an Indian-Australian cricketer. She is considered one of the best all-rounders in the game. She is the first woman to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in an ODI.

Lisa won the 2013 ODI World Cup with Australia and retired from the competition.

4. Catherine Helen Brent (England)

Catherine is considered England’s greatest ever female fast bowler. She was named England Women’s Cricketer in 2006 and again in 2010.

Brent won the 2009 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with England. In the 2009 T20 World Cup final, she was also the man of the match with an impressive 3 rounds of 6/4.

3. Jhulan Goswami (India)

Jhulan Goswami, from Bengal, is considered one of the best Indian women’s fast bowlers to grace the jersey. She became the first bowler to score 200 wickets in WODI.

Goswami also won the ICC Women’s Player of the Year Award in 2007 and the Best Women’s Cricketer at the MA Chidambaram Trophy in 2011. Goswami topped the ICC Women’s ODI Bowling Rankings for November 2016. She is the best female cricketer in the world and has amazing bowling skills. A biopic is in the works about Goswami, starring Anushka Sharma.

2. Sarah Jane Taylor (England)

Sarah is known for her free-flowing stroke game and has started and kept their wickets for England. In 2008, she was instrumental in keeping the ashes in Australia.

With the success of the Ashes, Taylor became the youngest female cricketer to score 1,000 international runs. She also won the title of T20 International Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2013.

1. Ellyse Perry (Australia)

Ellyse Perry is the best female cricketer in the world, from Australia. Perry is the youngest Australian to play international cricket and the first to appear in both the ICC and FIFA World Cups. Yes, you read that right. She made her debut for the national cricket and football teams at the age of 16.

Perry has also received numerous individual honors such as two Rachel Hayhoe Flint Awards and three Belinda Clarke Awards, while being named one of Wisden’s five cricketers from 2010-19 one. Hence, she is considered as the best female cricketer.