Born on 6th January 1979 in Melbourne, Victoria, is former Test, ODI and T20I right-arm medium pace bowler for Australia, Clea Smith.
Clea made her debut for Victoria in 1998/9 and before too long found herself selected for the Australian ODI team. The young Victorian settled in very quickly and became an important part of the Australian setup for the next decade. In 48 ODIs Clea took 45 wickets at 25.68 with a best of 4-32.
Just the one Test match for Clea, played in England in 2005 and will be remembered not for her bowling skills, but her batting. Australia were 9/236 when the number eleven joined Shelley Nitschke, also on debut. Their partnership of 119 remains the highest 10th wicket partnership in women’s Tests. Clea scored 42, which is the highest ever score by a number eleven in women’s Tests.
Towards the end of her career Clea played 13 T20 Internationals for Australia taking 14 wickets with a best of 3-23.
Post retirement Clea Smith has worked with the Australian Cricketers Association and in November 2020 was appointed to the Board of Directors.