Update 19 February 2024: Annabel Sutherland has entered an elite group after scoring a double century during Australia's test match against South Africa.
Sutherland smashed 200 runs in just 248 balls, the fastest Women's test double century of all time. At only 22 years of age, the only Australian to ever score a double century at a younger age was a 21-year-old Sir Donald Bradman in 1930.
01 December; Mrinal Asija
It has been a breakthrough year for Bachelor of Science student-athlete Annabel Sutherland on the international cricket scene.
At the age of 15 in 2016, Annabel was first selected to play for the Melbourne Renegades in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). The prodigious talent with all-round skills was then handed an international debut in 2020 for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at home, which she went on to win with the Australian team. The same year, she joined the University of Melbourne. Being part of the University’s Elite Athlete Program, she is able to pursue her Bachelor of Science degree part-time, as she focuses on excelling her cricket career. Since then Annabel has been part of two more World Cup-winning campaigns and the Australian side that won the first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal for women’s cricket in 2022.
However, the 22-year-old spent a significant part of her initial few years in international cricket on the sidelines, getting picked as a backup player in the squads. She was also often referred to by the media as the daughter of James Sutherland, the former CEO of Cricket Australia. But the retirement and unavailability of some key players in late-2022 brought her more regular opportunities to display her abilities and she proved that she was deserving of the backing she got from the side from a young age.
With her exceptional performances across 2023, Annabel has not only cemented her place in the Australian team but she has also walked out of the shadows of her sporting family – her elder brother Will also plays cricket for Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades.
After starting the year by winning the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with the Australian team in February, she brought up her maiden Test century during the Ashes series in England. She reached the triple-figure score in 148 balls, breaking the record for the fastest Test century by an Australian woman, finishing with 137 not out, a record for the highest score for a player batting at number eight or lower in Women’s Test Cricket. Her contribution helped Australia win the Test and retain the prestigious Ashes trophy. A rare opportunity to open the batting also saw Annabel get her first century in ODI cricket a few weeks later.
Annabel also had a remarkable WBBL season, finishing as the tournament’s third-highest wicket-taker and the leading run-scorer for her current team the Melbourne Stars, whom she captained in the last three games of the season.
The great run bore financial rewards as Annabel was picked by the Delhi Capitals for the equivalent of $AU364,000 in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) player auction. The bid made Annabel the joint-most expensive player amongst the 30 bought in the auction for the second season of the Indian league.
Annabel rang in the new year on the tour of India with the Australian team, a unit whose fortunes she will have a great influence on in the years to come. With two more World Cups scheduled in the next 18 months, the youngster will hope to carry her great form forward and keep winning games for the national team with both bat and ball, all whilst balancing her time studying Science.