Lisa Sthalekar becomes president of Federation of International Cricketer’s Association – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Former Australian women’s team captain Lisa Sthalekar became the first woman president of the Federation of International Cricketer’s Association (FICA).

Sthalekar was confirmed for the role of the president at the FICA Executive Committee meeting held in Nyon, Switzerland. The meeting was held in advance of the FICA and World Players’ Association Player Development Conferences. It was also the first in-person meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier, Sthalekar had been on the board of FICA as an independent director.

Heath Mills, the FICA Executive Chairman and New Zealand Players’ Association boss said, “Lisa was clearly the best candidate and her credentials are unparalleled as both a former player and broadcaster. Her previous roles as an Independent Director of FICA and on the Board of the Australian Cricketers’ Association demonstrate her long-standing commitment to the players’ association movement and advancing player rights.”

Mills also thanked Englishman Vikram Solanki, the outgoing president of FICA, for his contributions during his tenure. Previous presidents of the federation were former West Indies all-rounder Jimmy Adams, and Proteas batter Barry Richards.

42-year-old Sthalekar said, “I’m extremely honoured and excited to be FICA’s new President. We are entering a new phase of the game which covers more cricket than ever before for our male and female players. More countries are playing the game which demonstrates that cricket is certainly becoming a global game.”

The FICA plans to work closely with the ICC to ensure that the rights of the players are protected.

“I look forward to working on behalf of our member players’ associations and players, and in particular to working with the ICC to ensure that all players have their rights protected and can work in partnership with administrators to make our game even better.”

It is noteworthy that Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka do not have their representatives on the board of FICA. These countries do not have a players’ association either.

Indian-born Sthalekar represented Australia in 187 international matches including eight Tests. She was also the first woman cricketer to achieve the double of 1,000 ODI runs and 100 ODI wickets.

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