Former Australian batter Nicole Bolton has revealed her chat with then-Australia head coach Cathryn Fitzpatrick, which has come across as a derogatory remark on Mithali Raj, a giant of women’s cricket.
Former Australian batter Nicole Bolton has revealed her chat with then-Australia head coach Cathryn Fitzpatrick, which has come across as a derogatory remark on Mithali Raj, a giant of women’s cricket. On Stories After Stumps, Bolton revealed how Cathryn compared her slow strike rate with Mithali’s, asking whether she would continue playing for herself.
“For so long, I was just trying to impress her [Fitzpatrick]. I was just trying to get her to see me. And, I just remember, she called me into her office to have a chat. And she was like, ‘Do you honestly want to be the Mithali Raj of the Australia Cricket Team?’”
“And I was like, ‘Mithali Raj?’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, do you honestly want to strike at 50? It’s okay if you get 100 but the team still loses and you get 100 off 150 balls?’ And I was, ‘Woah, Shit! This is how Cathryn Fitzpatrick sees me. That’s not good at all. If this is how she sees me, my career is going to be pretty short-lived.’ She sort of said to me, ‘Why can’t you be like Meg Lanning or Elyse Villani? That’s how we want you to play’.”
The statement has been all over the internet, with Indian fans showing their resentment at making such remarks against a legend of the sport. Maybe Bolton should have avoided disclosing such pieces of information which were bound to rile the fans from a particular section.
The standards of the Aussie team are next level! 🫨
Nicole Bolton’s incredible cricket journey is in focus in the latest Stories After Stumps podcast episode: https://t.co/X4rbV7MskF pic.twitter.com/VZhKW4dj3k
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 26, 2024
Talking about Mithali Raj’s illustrious career, she was one of the best cricketers of her time, showing excellent consistency and skillsets. She scored over 10,000 runs for India, and her career spanned more than 19 years, where he made numerous records with the bat.
More than numbers, Mithali’s impact on women’s cricket was commendable, for she inspired a whole generation to take up the sport. She made women’s cricket popular in the country.
Yes, her strike rate was an issue, especially during the late half of his career, but Mithali was a proficient run-scorer. Her superior technique fetched her ample success across conditions.
No one can play for such long without skills, and Mithali’s expertise earned her name and fame in the cricketing world. Even after retiring, budding cricketers look up to her and her method as they look to establish themselves in the national team and become match-winners.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.
