Cricket: Former Australian cricketer appointed as first female president of FICA

Lisa Sthalekar before a Big Bash League match. Photo / Getty

Former Australian cricketer Lisa Sthalekar has been appointed as the first female president of FICA, the sport's international players association.

The news comes via a meeting of the organisation's executive committee in Switzerland, the first in-person gathering since the Covid pandemic.

The 42-year-old joins Barry Richards, Jimmy Adams and Vikram Solanki among those to have held the role.

The former all-rounder was born in India but played eight tests, 125 one-day internationals and 54 T20s for Australia between 2001 and 2013.

FICA chair and New Zealand Cricket Players' Association boss Heath Mills has welcomed Sthalekar's skill set.

"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 Australian Cricketers' Association board demonstrate her long standing commitment to the movement and advancing player rights."

Sthalekar said she looked forward to the role, given the unprecedented amount of professional cricket currently played across the world by men and women.

"It's certainly becoming a global game.

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

Mills also welcomed the presence of International Cricket Council boss Geoff Allardice, who discussed the governing body's relationship with players as the start of a new rights cycle for global events nears.

"Clearly the involvement of the players is critical to their success," Mills said.

"We need to ensure there are high quality structures and agreements in place to optimise the significant opportunities for the game at that level."