Former Aussie cricketer Lisa Sthalekar becomes first woman president of FICA

KARACHI: Former Australia captain Lisa Sthalekar Tuesday became the first woman president of the Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA).

The 42-year-old was confirmed for the job at a meeting of the FICA Executive Committee in Nyon, Switzerland.

Former South African batter Barry Richards, former West Indian all-rounder Jimmy Adams, and, most recently, former England hitter Vikram Solanki have all held the role before her.

"Lisa Sthalekar has been confirmed as FICA’s President at the FICA Executive Committee meeting held in Nyon, Switzerland this week," the FICA said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Sthalekar, said, "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.

"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."

Sthalekar represented Australia in 187 international matches across the three formats and was part of the Australian teams that won the ODI World Cups in 2005 and 2013 and the T20 World Cups in 2010 and 2012.