Alex Hartley

Alex Hartley’s unforgettable moment came when her side lifted the World Cup at home in 2017. An integral member of the successful side, Hartley claimed two wickets, which included the prized scalp of Harmanpreet Kaur, who was coasting along in the chase.

As a 14-year-old, she debuted for Lancashire in 2008. In 2010, she picked 25 wickets. Blackburn-born Hartley is a left-arm orthodox spinner, who became the second female cricketer after Kate Cross to be accepted into the Lancashire Academy in 2011. She was dropped from the Academy due to poor form.

Hartley moved to Middlesex in 2013 in Division One in order to increase her chances of playing for the national side. She gradually improved as a cricketer and in 2014, she returned to the England Academy. In a pre-season tour to the UAE, Alex claimed two 4-wicket hauls against Australia A for the Academy. Her good run continued and she was eventually drafted into the England squad for the Pakistan series, against whom she made her ODI and T20I debuts. A year later, she found herself in the World Cup squad, where she picked 10 wickets and ended up as England’s second-leading wicket-taker.

Following the World Cup success, Alex Hartley was an integral member of England’s limited-overs squad of the drawn Ashes series. In 2018, Alex, who was playing for Surrey Stars, joined Lancashire Women for the Women’s Cricket Super League.

Written by Abhinand Raghavendran