Lucy Hamilton is still only 19 but has already compiled an impressive cricket résumé. She made her domestic debut at the age of 15, claimed remarkable figures of 5 for 8 in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), captained Australia Under-19s, experienced the Women’s Premier League (WPL), and has already made her ODI debut.
The Queensland left-arm quick was initially named only in the Test squad, but injuries to Kim Garth and Ellyse Perry brought her into the playing group earlier than expected. She received her cap from Alyssa Healy, who was playing her final ODI. Although Hamilton did not take a wicket in her nine overs, she made an early impression by beating Pratika Rawal with her first delivery and later striking Deepti Sharma on the badge with a bouncer in her second spell.
“She’s got a really bright future ahead of her,” Healy said.
A Rare Left-Arm Option for Australia
Left-arm pace is relatively uncommon in the women’s game, particularly within Australia’s setup. Lauren Cheatle has featured in 12 internationals, most recently appearing in a Test against India in 2023. Hamilton believes her left-arm angle offers a valuable variation.
“I pride myself on trying to close down games and change momentum, especially in a small T20 contest, but similar in ODIs and four-dayers, I would suspect, in the sense of you want to build pressure and it’s how you can keep your team in the game.”
“Obviously a different angle, I’m a bit taller as well, so different height compared to others and lots of batters aren’t used to facing left-handers so, yeah, it is a point of difference,” she told ESPNcricinfo prior to the India series. “But at the end of the day, you’ve still got to execute the ball to the batter. It gives you a bit of a variation, which is always nice to have natural variation, but taking that and using that as much as I can against world-class batters will be really important.”
New Experience in Multi-Day Cricket
Hamilton has trained with the red ball before, but multi-day cricket — and in this case a pink-ball Test — will present a new challenge.
“It’s a different format and different strategies and I’m really excited to learn how that all shapes up,” she said. “Lots of women haven’t really experienced four-day cricket, so I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
Early Journey and WPL Exposure
Originally from Bundaberg in Queensland, Hamilton grew up in a cricket-loving family. Her father played the game, and she progressed through the junior levels alongside her older brother, Will, who is 18 months older.
“I grew up in a regional area in Queensland, so not many girls played the sport back then but my family have always enjoyed playing cricket or any sport in general,” she said.
Arriving at the Australia team hotel in Sydney ahead of the India series felt surreal for Hamilton. Her experience in the WPL, where she played two matches for Delhi Capitals, also offered a new perspective on the scale of the sport.
“You can’t really compare it to any other league in the world, to be honest,” she said. “It’s so big, like there’s 35,000 people at most games. It’s just a crazy experience to be a part of. It took a bit to get used to at the start when everyone wanted selfies and you to sign things, but it was a great experience, great to meet new people, train alongside some greats of the game and also get to be coached by them as well.”
“I tried to be as much of a sponge as I could. I knew Jemi [Rodrigues] going over there, but otherwise I didn’t really know many people, so it was cool to step out of my comfort zone and meet some new people.”
Thriving Under Pressure
Hamilton’s WBBL figures of 5 for 8 against Melbourne Stars in 2024 made her the youngest player to claim a five-wicket haul in the competition, achieved while many of her friends were celebrating the end of school exams.
She hopes to become the type of bowler captains turn to in key moments — a responsibility she already enjoys.
“I love the challenge in any aspect. I know that when the field is up it’s a little bit harder, but even towards the end when the batters are going, or you want to try and keep them under a number of runs… any situation I love a good challenge and I’m really competitive, so it’s nice to be put into those situations.”
“I pride myself on trying to close down games and change momentum, especially in a small T20 contest, but similar in ODIs and four-dayers, I would suspect, in the sense of you want to build pressure and it’s how you can keep your team in the game.”
More Than Just a Bowler
While Hamilton’s pace bowling has drawn the most attention, she also has the ability to contribute with the bat. On her WPL debut against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, she scored 36 from 19 balls and previously batted at No. 3 during the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.
“I think in this day and age everyone’s got to be a bit of an allrounder, knowing how deep you can bat in teams is really important,” she said. “Especially in sticky situations where you can come in pretty low and then needing lots of runs off not many balls.
“WPL was really good for me to bat lots of training, I’d bat three times a week. Through underage I always batted three or four, and I was always an allrounder. Hopefully leading into the future I can keep doing that, keep training hard and hopefully become more of an allrounder.”
With early achievements already stacking up, Hamilton’s rapid rise suggests her career could soon include another milestone.
