Karen Louise Rolton (born 21 November 1974) is an Australian former cricketer and captain of the national women's team. A left-handed batter, she has scored the most runs for her country in women's Test cricket.[1]
After making her international debut in 1995, Rolton went on to become a member of two successful world championship campaigns.[2][3] In the final of the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup, she scored 107 not out and was adjudged Player of the Match.[3] Her numerous individual honours include being named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2006 and winning the Belinda Clark Award four times.[4][5] New Zealand coach Steve Jenkin once remarked that the best tactic against her was to avoid dismissing the Australian team's openers so she could not bat.[6]
In 2006, Rolton became the captain of the national team, taking over from Belinda Clark.[7] She led Australia in the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup on home soil, although the team performed below expectations and finished in fourth place.[8][9]
Across 14 Test matches, Rolton scored 1,002 runs at an average of 55.66 which included two centuries and five half-centuries. She made her top score of 209 not out against England at Headingley in 2001, a world record at the time.[1] She also scored 4,814 runs at 48.14 in Women's One Day Internationals.[2] Rolton became the first player to score a century in the knockout stage of a Women's Cricket World Cup and set a record for the highest individual score on debut in Women's Twenty20 Internationals with 96 not out.[10][11][12] In addition to her batting prowess, she enjoyed success as a left-arm medium-pace bowler, taking 102 international wickets across all three formats.[2]
| No. | Runs | Opponents | City/Country | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 176 not out |  England
|
Worcester, England | New Road | 1998[14] |
| 2 | 209 not out | England
|
Leeds, England | Headingley | 2001[15] |
| No. | Runs | Opponents | City/Country | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 113 not out |  New Zealand
|
Wellington, New Zealand | Basin Reserve | 1997[17] |
| 2 | 154 not out |  Sri Lanka
|
Christchurch, New Zealand | Hagley Oval | 2000[18] |
| 3 | 107 not out |  South Africa
|
Lincoln, New Zealand | Bert Sutcliffe Oval | 2000[19] |
| 4 | 105 not out | New Zealand
|
Lincoln, New Zealand | Bert Sutcliffe Oval | 2002[20] |
| 5 | 102 not out | New Zealand
|
Auckland, New Zealand | Eden Park Outer Oval | 2004[21] |
| 6 | 107 not out |  India
|
Centurion, South Africa | Centurion Park | 2005[22] |
| 7 | 151 |  Ireland
|
Dublin, Ireland | Claremont Road Cricket Ground | 2005[23] |
| 8 | 101 | India
|
Canberra, Australia | Manuka Oval | 2008[24] |
In January 2010, Rolton announced her retirement from international cricket after a 14-year career.[25] She continued to play domestic cricket for South Australia until the end of the 2010–11 Women's National Cricket League season.[2]
In 2016, Rolton was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.[26] In January 2018, she was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.[27] A few months later, the South Australian Cricket Association unveiled a new community sporting facility in Adelaide, announcing the name of the main ground as Karen Rolton Oval.[28][29]
Rolton currently lives in Victoria and remains involved with cricket through her coaching roles at the Melbourne Renegades and also at local level.[30]
