OTD: Karen Rolten recorded highest score in Women’s Test in 2001

On this day in 2001, legendary Australian cricketer Karen Rolton etched her name into the history books by registering the highest individual score in Women’s Test cricket at the time. The left-handed batter played a commanding innings of 209 not out against England at Headingley, Leeds, during the second Test of the series.

England were bowled out for 144 in their first innings, and Australia began their reply with openers Belinda Clark and Lisa Keightley. After the early dismissal of Clark for six runs, Rolton walked in and took control of the game. She displayed dominance from the start, and built the innings with poise, scoring her double century off 313 balls, including 29 boundaries.

Her calculated approach never allowed the English bowlers to settle, and she kept the scoreboard ticking with timely strokes. The innings played a key role not just in the match but in elevating the global stature of women’s Test cricket.

Rolton’s 209* was the first double century by an Australian woman in Tests, and briefly held the record for the highest score in Women’s Test cricket until India’s Mithali Raj surpassed it with a score of 214 in 2002. Nonetheless, Rolton’s innings remains one of the most iconic and influential performances in the history of women’s cricket.

Across her Test career, Rolton scored 1002 runs in 22 innings at an average of 55.66. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), she scored 4814 runs in 132 innings at an average of 48.14, with a highest score of 154 not out. In T20 Internationals, though she played only 12 innings, she scored 405 runs at a stunning average of 50.62.

Rolton took over the Australian captaincy in February 2006, succeeding Clark, under whom she had served as vice-captain since 1997. She was named Player of the Match in the 2005 World Cup final for her match-winning hundred. In her first series as captain, she guided Australia to a 3–0 series win over India in ODIs on home soil.

Throughout her career, Rolton won numerous accolades, including the Commonwealth Bank Player of the Year award and the inaugural ICC Female Player of the Year in 2006. She retired from international cricket in 2010 after playing a then world-record 141 ODIs, and she remains one of the leading run-scorers in women’s Tests.

Rolton also made a significant impact in domestic cricket, representing South Australia and Port Adelaide in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL), where she surpassed 4000 career runs in the 2007–08 season.

In recognition of her incredible contribution to the sport, the Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide was named in her honour, a lasting tribute to one of the greatest cricketers the world has ever seen.

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