Rajasthan Royals appoint Sthalekar as advisor for Youth Cricket

Mumbai : Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals has appointed former Australia women's cricket team captain, Lisa Sthalekar as an advisor - Youth Cricket for its junior programmes.

Rajasthan Royals had launched its youth programme -- Royals Colts (for boys) and Royal Sparks (for girls) in October 2018. Sthalekar had flown down to Jaipur and was part of the felicitation ceremony of the selected youngsters.

In her new role, Sthalekar will be responsible for creating a year-round programme for the Colts and Sparks, which will include high performance camps and competitions for the selected individuals. She will also organise school tournaments to introduce many more youngsters to the game.

Speaking about her appointment, Sthalekar, who was a member of Australia women's World Cup winning team in 2013, said, "Rajasthan Royals has done exceptional work in unearthing cricket talent. They have then been successful in providing these individuals with the right platform to grow.

"I am delighted to be part of programmes that are giving equal opportunities to talent across girls and boys, while also spreading the reach of the game. I am extremely pleased to join Rajasthan Royals as an advisor.

I am looking forward to my role of identifying and nurturing cricketing talent, especially the girls, so that they can make a mark for themselves in the cricketing world," she added.

A former spin all-rounder, Sthalekar is the first woman to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in One Day Internationals. She scored 2728 runs and claimed 146 wickets in ODIs.

The former skipper announced her retirement from international cricket a day after the Australia won the 2013 women's World Cup.