- The phrase “greatest women cricketers of all time” gets people talking, and for good reason
- Women’s cricket has never been more visible or competitive than it is now
- Mithali Raj is the only woman to score more than 7,000 ODI runs, and she holds the record for most ODI fifties
The phrase “greatest women cricketers of all time” gets people talking, and for good reason. The women’s game has had batters who changed the game, quicks who scared everyone, all-rounders who could do it all, captains who had a vision, and clutch players on the biggest nights.
Women’s cricket has never been more visible or competitive than it is now. India won their first 50-over world title on November 2, 2025, beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final in Navi Mumbai. This was a turning point that showed how quickly the sport was growing and improving.
Shafali Verma’s 87 and Deepti Sharma’s 58, along with a five-for, were the most important blows. Laura Wolvaardt’s brave century kept South Africa in the game.
ALSO READ: India win ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup for the first time
Here is a wide view of the players who should be in any serious conversation about the greatest women cricketers of all time. The conversation should be based on facts, not just feelings, with context, records, and recent milestones.
How to think about “greatest” in women’s cricket
To choose the greatest women cricketers of all time, you have to think about a lot of things, like how dominant they were at their peak, how long they played in different formats (Tests, ODIs, T20Is), how much they helped their teams win, how well they led, and how well they adapted to the sport’s changing strategies.
Stars today have to compete against tougher global competition and busier schedules. Pioneers did well with fewer games and less help. Both realities merit respect.
Mithali Raj — the metronome of ODI batting
Mithali Raj is the only woman to score more than 7,000 ODI runs, and she holds the record for most ODI fifties. This shows how consistent she has been at No. 3. Her seven straight fifties in ODIs are still a one-of-a-kind achievement.
Raj was a lock for twenty years because of her classical technique, strike rotation, and ability to handle crises. When people talk about the greatest women cricketers of all time, she is always at the top.
Jhulan Goswami: speed, accuracy, and determination
Jhulan Goswami, who retired with 255 ODI wickets, the most in women’s history, was the gold standard for ODI seam bowling for years.
Her ability to last, her skill with the new ball, and her calmness in the late innings helped India reach the 2017 World Cup final and inspired a whole generation of fast bowlers.
It’s not often that a player has both control at the top and a threat at the death. Goswami had both, which makes her one of the best women cricketers ever.
Meg Lanning – a captain who collected trophies
Meg Lanning was a great captain and a great run-scorer for Australia. She helped make the team’s dynasty. She was the best leader of the 2010s and early 2020s, with a career batting average of over 50 in ODIs and a cabinet full of world titles. She stepped down in 2023.
Lanning’s name will always be brought up in talks about the best female cricketers of all time because she has so many trophies.
Ellyse Perry – the complete cricketer
Ellyse Perry was a dual-international who played football and cricket for Australia. In cricket, she was the first all-rounder to score 1,000 T20I runs and take 100 T20I wickets, and she was a key player in many world titles across formats and leagues.
Her peak seasons had a huge effect on both disciplines, which is strong evidence that she should be considered one of the greatest women cricketers of all time.
Alyssa Healy – the bulldozer of big matches
Alyssa Healy can change the course of a game in just a few overs. Healy is one of the greatest women cricketers of all time. She was the Player of the Tournament at the 2018 T20 World Cup, a relentless power-play aggressor, and a keeper whose glove work is among the best. She has written some of Australia’s most important modern innings.
Few players are better at handling pressure moments, which is why she should be in the conversation about the best women cricketers of all time.
Nat Sciver-Brunt — the modern middle-order benchmark
Nat Sciver-Brunt is the best all-around player for England. She won the ICC’s top women’s award in 2022 and 2023 and has been a star in franchise leagues and for the national team. Her strength, range, and calm finishing have saved England time and time again.
Her ability to be consistent and come through in the clutch makes her one of the best women cricketers of all time.
Stafanie Taylor & Hayley Matthews — West Indian match-winners
Stafanie Taylor led the West Indies’ rise for more than ten years. Hayley Matthews, on the other hand, has become one of the best all-rounders in the world, winning ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2023 and setting year-defining ODI records in 2024.
Together, they show Caribbean style and fight, which is an important part of the story of the best women cricketers ever.
Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine are the best Kiwis
Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine from New Zealand have been leaders and heavy hitters for a long time. Bates, who used to play basketball for her country, is one of the top run scorers in ODIs.
Devine, on the other hand, is one of the most dangerous all-rounders in the shorter formats because she can hit sixes and bowl in the last few overs. They are always on any list of the best women cricketers of all time because they can do so many things.
Charlotte Edwards to Heather Knight were the captains of England
Charlotte Edwards set professional standards during her time, and Heather Knight has built on those with smart strategies and toughness in the middle order.
Their leadership took the game from semi-professionalism to today’s fully developed ecosystem. This had a lasting effect on the rankings of the best women cricketers of all time.
India’s match-winners — Harmanpreet Kaur & Smriti Mandhana
Harmanpreet Kaur is known for her knockout brilliance, from her 171* in the 2017 semi-final to her calm leadership in 2025. During the 2025 campaign, Smriti Mandhana broke the record for most runs by an Indian woman in a Women’s World Cup edition. This showed that she has a good attitude when it comes to big events.
Their different styles of power and poise are what make India’s current core a great candidate for the title of greatest women cricketers of all time.
The all-format wunderkind — Amelia Kerr
Amelia Kerr has grown into one of cricket’s most well-rounded young stars, going from a world-record ODI 232* as a teen to leg-spin that strangles the middle overs. Her two sets of skills and tactical smarts make a strong case that she will be one of the best women cricketers of all time.
Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp are South Africa’s torchbearers
Laura Wolvaardt’s classical control and century in the 2025 final showed that she is a generational batter. Marizanne Kapp, on the other hand, is still a top all-around threat with the ball’s heavy length and underrated hitting.
Their greatness keeps South Africa firmly in the top tier and keeps both names in the conversation when we talk about the best women cricketers of all time.
The “greatest ever” talk: Why 2025 is important
The 2025 World Cup made a lot of things clear. The talent pool is bigger and better than it has ever been. Second, the gap between the traditional superpowers and the chasing pack has gotten smaller.
India’s path included a record chase to beat seven-time champions Australia in the semi-final and then a calm all-around performance in the final. Third, the women’s game is making its own list of “miracle nights,” which gives fans new things to talk about when they argue about who the best women cricketers of all time are.
Records that hold reputations in place
Debate is fun; numbers help. Consider a few anchors:
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7,000+ ODI runs — Mithali Raj’s singular mountain.
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255 ODI wickets — Jhulan Goswami’s unmatched tally.
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Test 213* — Ellyse Perry’s highest Test score for Australia, alongside the 1,000 runs/100 wickets T20I double.
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Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award (2022 & 2023) — Nat Sciver-Brunt’s back-to-back ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year honours.
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T20 World Cup 2018 Player of the Tournament — Alyssa Healy’s breakout on the global stage.
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T20I Cricketer of the Year 2023 — Hayley Matthews’ recognition as the heartbeat of West Indies’ resurgence.
These aren’t just fun facts; they’re the main reasons why we think these women cricketers are among the best of all time.
The GOAT debate and the franchise era
The rise of professional leagues like the WBBL in Australia, The Hundred in England, and the WPL in India has improved players’ skills and made them feel like they are playing in international cricket.
Players like Sciver-Brunt, Perry, Healy, Matthews, and Mandhana are now building cross-border resumes that make them even more likely to be the best women cricketers of all time.
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Franchises also make leadership legacies stronger: captains and senior pros mentor new talent from different cultures and conditions, speeding up their growth. This constant change in high-stakes games makes different eras easier to compare, and it keeps the “GOAT” conversation going.
What the future brings to the pantheon
With pathways now professionalized, the next decade could see the addition of a number of names to any list of the greatest women cricketers of all time. Teen prodigies are more ready than ever; sports science pushes peaks higher; and data analytics cuts weaknesses faster than ever.
But the past still deserves respect, even as the future rushes in. The modern boom would be different if Raj weren’t so determined, Goswami weren’t so persistent, Edwards weren’t so visionary, or Lanning weren’t so good at winning. The current champions build on the work of the first champions.
A balanced, era-spanning XI (discussion starter)
Someone will always complain about your XI, and that’s half the fun. This one is balanced across styles and eras and is meant to win in any situation:
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Alyssa Healy (wk) — power-play havoc, big-match temperament.
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Smriti Mandhana — left-handed fluency, World Cup record-setter for India in 2025.
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Mithali Raj — run-bank and tempo control.
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Meg Lanning (c) — tactical clarity, relentless scoring.
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Nat Sciver-Brunt — middle-order engine, seam utility.
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Harmanpreet Kaur — momentum shifter, proven in knockouts.
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Ellyse Perry — world-class all-rounder, game-breaker with bat and ball.
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Hayley Matthews — power hitting + off-spin control.
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Jhulan Goswami — new-ball command, ODI wicket record.
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Amelia Kerr — leg-spin guile, batting flexibility.
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Anya Shrubsole / Shabnim Ismail — choose swing or pace to suit conditions.
You won’t hear any arguments if you switch in Sophia Dunkley’s flair, Beth Mooney’s finishing, or Marizanne Kapp’s seam-bowling punch. That’s how rich the current pool of the best women cricketers of all time is.
The legacy of India’s 2025 triumph
India’s first ODI world title didn’t just end a drought; it proved that a country that has been obsessed with men’s cricket for a long time can be good at both.
There will be a big ripple effect: better access at the grassroots level, bigger domestic leagues, and more girls who want to play on the national team. In the years to come, those ripples will inevitably add new names to the list of the best women cricketers of all time.
Conclusion
You can use scorecards to measure how good women cricketers are, but influence is what really matters. Raj taught us how to build innings brick by brick; Goswami showed us how to be relentless; Lanning made winning seem normal; Perry made the job description bigger; Healy turned pressure into a playground; Sciver-Brunt made modern versatility look easy; Matthews made the Caribbean roar again; and India’s class of 2025 turned hope into history.
There will always be debate, and that’s a good thing. The point isn’t to make a list that will never change; it’s to keep watching, measuring, and celebrating the people who set the standards.
One thing is for sure as the sport enters a new era of professionalism and reach: the gallery of the greatest women cricketers of all time will only get bigger, more global, and more beautiful.