Former Australian captain Alex Blackwell has been named the latest inductee into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, in recognition of her remarkable 15-year international career.
One of Australia’s most dependable players, Blackwell represented her country across all formats from 2003 to 2018. She played a total of 251 international matches for Australia, including 12 Tests, 144 One Day Internationals and 95 T20 Internationals. At the time of her retirement, she was the most capped Australian women’s cricketer in history.
A right-handed middle-order batter, Blackwell amassed 5,250 international runs for Australia, including 444 in Tests, 3492 in ODIs and 1314 in T20Is. All three of her international centuries came in the one-day format, including a memorable hundred at the MCG against England in 2008.
Blackwell was a natural leader and captained Australia in 33 matches across all three formats. She captained Australia to its first ICC Women’s World T20 title in 2010 and was part of further tournament-winning teams in 2012 and 2014. In Ashes cricket, she featured in multiple campaigns and captained Australia to victory in 2011. In ODI cricket, she played a key role in Australia’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup triumphs in 2005 and 2013.
At domestic level, Blackwell won 14 Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) titles and two national T20 championships with the NSW Breakers, nine of these titles as NSW captain (seven WNCL and two T20 championships). She also captained the Sydney Thunder to the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League title and played a pivotal role in the competition’s formative years.
Beyond her on-field achievements, Blackwell has been a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion and has played a significant role in shaping a more professional and equitable cricketing landscape.
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame selection panel member Belinda Clark AO congratulated Blackwell on her induction.
“Alex’s induction into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a fitting recognition of an outstanding career and contribution to the game,” Clark said.
“She was a fantastic leader who was always calm under pressure and was deeply respected within the playing group.
“She has played a pivotal role in taking women’s cricket to where it is today, and her influence continues to be felt long after her retirement. She is richly deserving of this honour.”
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame Inductees:
- 1996 – Fred Spofforth, John Blackham, Victor Trumper, Clarrie Grimmett, Bill Ponsford, Sir Donald Bradman, Bill O’Reilly, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall and Dennis Lille
- 2000 – Warwick Armstrong, Neil Harvey and Allan Border
- 2001 – Bill Woodfull and Arthur Morris
- 2002 – Stan McCabe and Greg Chappell
- 2003 – Lindsay Hassett and Ian Chappell
- 2004 – Hugh Trumble and Alan Davidson
- 2005 – Clem Hill and Rod Marsh
- 2006 – Monty Noble and Bob Simpson
- 2007 – Charles Macartney and Richie Benaud
- 2008 – George Giffen and Ian Healy
- 2009 – Steve Waugh
- 2010 – Bill Lawry and Graham McKenzie
- 2011 – Mark Taylor and Doug Walters
- 2012 – Shane Warne
- 2013 – Charlie Turner and Glenn McGrath
- 2014 – Mark Waugh and Belinda Clark
- 2015 – Adam Gilchrist and Jack Ryder
- 2016 – Jeff Thomson and Wally Grout
- 2017 – David Boon, Matthew Hayden and Betty Wilson
- 2018 – Norm O’Neill, Ricky Ponting and Karen Rolton
- 2019 – Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Dean Jones and Billy Murdoch
- 2020 – Sharon Tredrea and Craig McDermott
- 2021 – Johnny Mullagh (Unaarrimin), Merv Hughes and Lisa Sthalekar
- 2022 – Justin Langer and Raelee Thompson
- 2023 – Marg Jennings and Ian Redpath
- 2024 – Michael Hussey and Lyn Larsen
- 2025 – Michael Clarke, Christina Matthews, Michael Bevan
- 2026 – Brett Lee, Alex Blackwell
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame selection panel is made up of representatives from all levels of cricket.
- Peter King – Chair of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
- Greg Baum – Cricket Journalist
- Belinda Clark – Former Test captain
- Greg Chappell – Former Test captain
- Todd Greenberg – Cricket Australia CEO
- Ben Horne – Cricket Journalist
- Paul Marsh – Australian Cricketers’ Association CEO
- Lisa Sthalekar – Former ODI captain
- Mark Taylor – Former Test captain
About the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame:
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame was first proposed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, the largest sporting club in the country and manager of the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, in 1995. With the support of Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria, the Hall of Fame was officially opened by the then Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable John Howard MP in 1996. Selection philosophy for the hall of fame focuses on the players’ status as sporting legends in addition to their outstanding statistical records. All inductees must have been retired from international cricket for a minimum of five years to be eligible for selection. An inaugural group of 10 players were inducted in 1996, and a further 56 players have been welcomed since.
