Female Cricketers Matching Male Counterparts in Team Performance

(Smriti Mandhana playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in WPL)

The cricket world has not just been a show of talent where the players showcase their skills for their team, and gender barriers have also been broken down in recent years on the cricket pitch. Now, female cricketers are given the same attention by the cricket boards and fans as male cricketers. In this blog, we will be looking forward to some popular female cricketers and the role they play according to the male cricket universe. In this exploration, fans can have a look at the talents of these female cricketers, highlighted by their passion and dedication to the game, which is shared by the male athletes. These female cricketers perfectly blend into the roles of their male counterparts, showcasing almost the same talent and game skill for their respective teams. Let's have a look at the list of the female cricketers and their male counterparts who play in the realm of Women's cricket.

1. Smriti Mandhana - Virat Kohli

The King of Cricket, Virat Kohli, also has a female cricketer playing his role for the India Women's cricket team, Smriti Mandhana. Smriti has been popular among cricket fans and is also being called the Queen of Cricket, having various similarities to Virat Kohli. She also leads the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women franchise, which Kohli used to do for several years in the Indian Premier League.

(Smriti Mandhana and Virat Kohli talking post-match)

Moreover, her impressive batting skills and her importance in a chase have shown the fans why Smriti Mandhana is the counterpart of the King, Virat Kohli. Being a top-order batsman and having a 40+ average across the Women's Test and Women's ODI format, Smriti Mandhana has been the Queen for the India Women's cricket team, giving her best performances with the bat.

2. Shafali Verma - Rohit Sharma

Whenever it's about giving an aggressive start to the team, Shafali Verma plays the role of Rohit Sharma for the India Women's cricket team. She has been known for her aggressive striking skills across the shorter format and even the ODI format of the game. Her game intent is similar to the Hitman Rohit Sharma, with the main objective to score as many runs as possible in the powerplay of the limited overs format.

(Shafali Verma after scoring a half-century for Delhi Capitals)

Although this game plan could be risky, Shafali Verma is just like Rohit Sharma, ready to take risks if the team is able to benefit from them. She has played 23 Women's ODI matches and has scored four half-centuries at a strike rate of 83.35. Currently, she is mainly preferred by the team for the Women's T20I format, holding a strike rate of 129.90 in 70+ matches.

3. Ellyse Perry - Glenn Maxwell

The Australian women's team all-rounder, Ellyse Perry, is known as the female counterpart of the Australian Men's team's Glenn Maxwell. Perry is also known to change the game both with the bat and the ball, just like Glenn Maxwell. Moreover, both of them have hard-hitting abilities along with their spin deliveries, which could tackle the set batsmen when needed the most. Along with that, both also play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, which is currently in the Indian T20 leagues, which creates much similarity between them.

(Ellyse Perry celebrating her 6-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians)

She has scored 34 half-centuries in the Women's ODI format and also holds three five-wicket hauls in the same format. Along with that, Perry has also scored 213 runs in test innings, which is the second-highest individual score in Women's Cricket. Perry has been the game changer for the Australia Women's team and the RCB Women's team, as she also played an important role in the RCB Women's title win in the second Women's Premier League season.

4. Meg Lanning - Steven Smith

Meg Lanning plays the role of Steven Smith for the Australia Women's cricket team, as she has been among the best top-order batsmen available for the team in most of the games. Known for her consistent performances, Lanning has been dominant for the team across the Women's ODI format, having an average of 53.51 in 103 matches with 15 centuries and 21 half-centuries. This shows that Lanning is able to perform well at the top order across the ODI format, being consistent for the team just like Steven Smith.

(Meg Lanning and Steven Smith with the T20 World Cup trophies)

She also holds the record for most runs scored by any female cricketer captain across a Women's ODI series, scoring 1232 runs. Her capability to break down the barriers and records for the team shows us that Lanning is very similar to one of the finest players of the Australia Men's cricket team, Steven Smith. She is also able to perform well for the team across the shorter format of the game, being a part of Delhi Capitals in the Women's Premier League.

5. Sophie Ecclestone - Ben Stokes

The England Women's cricket team all-rounder Sophie Ecclestone resembles the role of Ben Stokes for the Men's cricket team. Being an all-rounder, she is also able to dominate with her batting and bowling skills for the team. However, Sophie Ecclestone focuses mainly on her slow left-arm orthodox bowling, as Ben Stokes is also one of the main bowlers for the England Cricket team.

(Sophie Ecclestone celebrating after taking a wicket against England Women)

She is a part of the middle-order batting line-up of the team and is able to perform well in critical situations when the top order is unable to perform well. If she focuses more on her batting skills to build up some match-winning performances, Sophie Ecclestone could be able to become a complete all-rounder for the England Women's Cricket team.

6. Shabnim Ismail - Kagiso Rabada

The South African cricket team (both Men and Women) has been known for its deadly pace bowlers across cricket players for a long time. In the Women's cricket team, Shabnim Ismail is very similar to Kagiso Rabada, as they can scare the opponent batsmen with the help of their page.

(Shabnim Ismail playing for Mumbai Indians in the WPL 2024 season)

Having less than 20 average across all three formats of the game, Ismail is able to dominate the opponent batsmen across every format, regardless of the ground where she plays. She also holds the record of most wickets taken at a single ground, with 24 wickets at the Senwes Park.