Zoe Jean Goss OAM (born 6 December 1968) is an Australian former cricketer who played as an all-rounder, bowling right-arm medium-fast and batting right-handed. She appeared in 12 Test matches and 65 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1987 and 2000, including playing at four World Cups. She played domestic cricket for Western Australia and Victoria.[1][2]

Zoe Goss
Personal information
Full name
Zoe Jean Goss
Born (1968-12-06) 6 December 1968 (age 55)
Perth, Australia
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium-fast
RoleAll-rounder
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 110)1 August 1987 v England
Last Test8 February 1996 v New Zealand
ODI debut (cap 53)18 January 1987 v New Zealand
Last ODI23 December 2000 v New Zealand
ODI shirt no.23
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1984/85–1995/96Western Australia
1996/97–1998/99Victoria
1999/00–2005/06Western Australia
Career statistics
Competition WTest WODI WFC WLA
Matches 12 65 34 200
Runs scored 280 1,099 904 5,348
Batting average 23.33 29.70 28.25 35.65
100s/50s 0/0 0/7 0/6 3/41
Top score 48 96* 74 123*
Balls bowled 1,956 2,773 5,125 7,701
Wickets 20 64 77 176
Bowling average 25.55 19.15 17.97 20.19
5 wickets in innings 0 0 4 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 1 0
Best bowling 3/15 4/10 6/24 4/10
Catches/stumpings 1/– 11/– 10/– 51/–
Source: CricketArchive, 8 January 2023

Biography

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Goss played her first game of cricket at the age of 11 for South Perth, scoring 36 not out and taking 0 for 15. In the 1985–86 season, at the age of 17, she made her debut for Western Australia. Goss played with Western Australia until 1995–96 when she moved to Victoria. Goss returned to play with WA in 1999–2000.

Goss was first selected in the Australian women's side for the Rose Bowl series against New Zealand in January 1987. Although having already established herself as a genuine fast bowler and a brilliant all-rounder at interstate level, it was not until the following Rose Bowl in January 1988 that she first produced an outstanding performance at international level. In the third match of the series in Wellington, Goss guided Australia to victory with an unbeaten 96, an innings that remained her highest One Day International score.

Goss scored 1099 ODI runs at an average of 29.70 including 7 fifties and took 64 wickets at an average of 19.15, her best bowling being 4 for 10 against Ireland in Christchurch during the 2000 World Cup.

Goss played in four World Cups for Australia, playing when Australia won the final in 1988, then again in their unsuccessful defence in 1993, as a squad member when Australia regained the trophy in 1997 and finally as a member of the Australian side that lost the 2000 final to New Zealand, her final match for Australia.

Goss's performances at Test level were not as impressive, averaging just 23.33 with a highest score of 48 and taking 20 wickets at an average of 25.55.

She was also named Player of the Series in the 1995–96 Australian Women's Cricket Championship and again in the 1996–97 Women's National Cricket League.[3]

Despite her record in women's cricket, Goss's most famous cricketing appearance was in the Bradman Foundation charity match in Sydney in December 1994. Having been called into the Bradman XI side when rugby league player Paul Vautin withdrew due to illness, Goss scored 29 before taking 2 for 60 from her ten overs, including the wicket of Brian Lara who had broken the records for Highest Test Innings and Highest First-Class Innings earlier in the year.[4][5]

After finishing her international career, Goss later went on to play for Tuart Hill Cricket Club in the WACA Women's Competition.

Goss was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2024 Australia Day Honours for service to cricket.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Player Profile: Zoe Goss". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Player Profile: Zoe Goss". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  3. ^ "England's flawed hero". ESPN Cricinfo. 6 December 2005. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ^ Zoe Goss, the woman who dimissed (sic) the great Brian Lara Perth Sunday Times, 18 December 2010
  5. ^ Smith, Martin (18 December 2019). "Life after Brian: Cricket's first female superstar". cricket.com.au. Cricket Australia. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division" (PDF). Governor-General of Australia. Retrieved 26 January 2024.

Further reading

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