Lisa Keightley

Lisa Keightley may now be making her name in coaching circles but it was her batting at the top of the order for Australia that brought her to prominence. She was high as a kite back in 1998 when her 113* was the first century scored by a female player at Lord's and she went on to become Australia's third highest run scorer in the one-day game and seventh in the all-time list.

Another of her many accolades is that her 156* is the second highest score by an Australian player behind Belinda Clark's world record 229* and with her added ability to pick up useful wickets by bowling her medium pace she was a huge asset to any side. She retired briefly in 2002 but returned to the game a year later and at the end of the 2004 season she was awarded the Belinda Clark Medal for being NSW's player of the year after her performances in the women's national league.

Like all good things, her playing career came to an end after the 2005 Ashes series in England and while her Test finale was a disappointment - Australia lost to England for the first time in 42 years - the side bounced back to clinch a tight one-day series 3-2, Keightley hitting a half-century in her final outing. She was described by the James Sutherland, as "an outstanding player for Australia over a number of years who has been a wonderful ambassador for women's cricket in this country."

At the time of her retirement she had played more games than anyone else in the WNCL for New South Wales (91) and then immediately became the first full-time coach employed by the state after already having served as their high-performance coordinator. Keightley led New South Wales to consecutive titles in her only two years in charge and in 2007 she became the first woman appointed coach of the national team, succeeding Mark Sorell.

Alan Curr June 2007