Born on 27th June 1943 in Battersea, Surrey is former Test and ODI player for England, Shirley Hodges, primarily a wicket keeper, and a record holding one at that.
Shirley was handy with the bat but in her international career batted behind one of the strongest batting units ever assembled by England.
Shirley made her Test debut against Australia on the 1968/69 tour in Rachael Heyhoe’s England team. She missed the first Test but played the second and third. At St Kilda Ground in Melbourne she scored 21 not out with the bat and stumped two of the Aussie batters.
Three more Tests for the New Zealand leg of the tour, three against the Australians at home in 1976 and finally against the West Indies in 1979. Shirley played in eleven Tests, taking 19 catches and 17 stumpings to finish with an impressive hail of 36 dismissals, the second highest of any wicket keeper for England.
Like many players of her era, Shirley’s ODI debut came in the World Cup of 1973. As with the Test team, batting behind Enid Bakewell, Lynne Thomas, Rachael Heyhoe Flint, to name a few, meant batting opportunities were rare. She played a total of 26 ODIs and batted only 4 innings. However, with the gloves, 20 catches and 15 stumpings for 35 dismissals.
Most of those ODI matches were spread over three World Cups; the victorious inaugural tournament in 1973, plus 1977/78 in India, and 1981/82 in New Zealand.