In the cricket match between India Women and Australia Women, Smriti Mandhana has again amazed everyone with her exceptional skills. After India scored 80 runs in the first 13 overs of the match, Mandhana was the shining star with her incredible touch after a dismal performance at the beginning of the tournament. She scored a spectacular 80 runs in 66 balls and, at the same time, became the quickest batter to score 5,000 runs in women’s ODIs.
This noble gathering of batters includes legendary players from New Zealand, England, and the West Indies. Let’s see how Smriti Mandhana has topped the chart with other prestigious batters who have accomplished this feat.
Fastest to 5000 Runs in Women’s Cricket
5) Charlotte Edwards (156 innings)
Charlotte Edwards was a top-order batter for England and had a phenomenal run with 5,992 runs in 191 ODI matches. She contributed to women’s cricket by being one of the most powerful and influential characters throughout the world. She captained the England team for a decade during her international career.
Edwards had to play a total of 156 innings to get to the milestone of 5,000 runs in ODIs. The curtains fell on her international career when the English team lost to the Australians in the semi-finals at the World T20 in India during 2015. Despite the fact that she was a player in all three formats, the 50-over was the most experienced one for her.
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4) Mithali Raj (144 innings)
Mithali Raj is the female cricketer of India whose star shines the brightest. She was the pioneer who took women’s cricket to the world—the 42-year-old batter, whose primary role was that of a Top-order batsman, took only 144 innings to reach the feat of 5,000 runs in the ODIs.
Her overall record in this format is massive. She has made 7,805 runs with the highest average of 50.68 through 232 matches. To her credit, she also scored 64 half-centuries and 7 centuries. Mithali has been often labeled as India’s greatest female batter, as she led the Indian national women’s team to the zenith of two 50-over World Cup finals, albeit narrowly missing the title once.
3) Suzie Bates (136 innings)
The next one on the list is the veteran New Zealand player Suzie Bates, 38, who gained her 5,000 ODI runs in 136 innings only. Bates is an all-rounder who plays with the bat, and her power in the top order is what she is best known for. With her international debut in 2006, she has been New Zealand’s strength all along.
One inning that will remain with her was an unbeaten 94 off 61 balls against Pakistan in the 2014 World Twenty20. Though she has never played in Tests, Bates has been a part of 174 women’s ODIs, scoring 5,925 runs at 39.23, which includes 13 centuries and 37 fifties.
2) Stafanie Taylor (129 innings)
Thanks to her strong and smooth stroke-making, Stafanie Taylor, the West Indies all-rounder, was able to reach her 5,000 ODI runs in just 129 innings. Taylor, if you didn’t know, was the youngest woman at the time who, at just 19 years of age, managed to be the first to score 1,000 ODI runs, which right away put her in the limelight in the format.
The 34-year-old became the captain of the West Indies Women’s team in 2015 and with her, they won the 2016 Women’s World T20 title. So far, Stafanie has played 170 Women’s ODI matches, accumulating 5,873 runs with an average of 42.25. Though her strike rate is 68.54, her tenacity can be seen through her 7 centuries and 41 half-centuries.
1) Smriti Mandhana (112 innings)
The present Indian Women’s cricket star, Smriti Mandhana marked the 5,000 ODI runs milestone during the India Women vs Australia Women match, where she was quite impressive with 80 runs scored off just 66 balls at a strike rate of 121.21. Besides, Mandhana was the quickest to reach 5,000 ODI runs in women’s cricket, accomplishing it in merely 112 innings.
Since her first match in 2013, she has been the best top-order batsman for India, amassing 33 fifties and 13 centuries in her ODI career.
The Maharashtra-born sensation, besides winning the award of the best Indian player, also made a big accomplishment as the leader of RCB Women, thus, taking them to their first-ever WPL title in 2024.
