Shelley Nitschke (born 3 December 1976) is an Australian former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. A left-handed batter and left arm orthodox spinner, she was one of the leading all-rounders in the world until her retirement in 2011. In May 2022 Nitschke became the interim head coach of the Australian women's team and was appointed full-time on a four-year contract in September 2022.
Nitschke made her senior debut in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) for South Australia at the relatively old age of 24 in 2000–01. She started her career as a specialist batter and had little effect in her first two seasons, scoring 191 runs at 12.73. Having only taken one wicket to this point, she began bowling regularly and took 13 at 25.38 over the next two seasons and scored 326 runs at 27.16.
During the 2004–05 WNCL season, Nitschke scored 144 runs at 36.00 and took ten wickets at 17.50 and was rewarded with selection in the Australian team for a One Day International (ODI) series in India. She did not have a successful initiation to international cricket and was in and out of the team, ending her debut series with 10 runs and a total of 1/99. Playing as a specialist bowler and batting in the lower-order, Nitschke was retained for the 2005 World Cup in South Africa. After being overlooked for the first two matches, she played in the remaining matches and took 11 wickets at 8.27 to establish herself as an international bowler. She claimed 2/14 in the final as Australia defeated India to win the World Cup without defeat. She only batted once because Australia's strong line-up was rarely threatened, scoring one run.
Nitschke made her Test debut in the subsequent tour of England, and showed her batting ability at international level, scoring 81 and 88 in the two Tests. She then took a record 7/24 in an ODI at Kidderminster. She returned home for the 2005–06 WNCL, scoring 287 runs and taking nine wickets and was retained for the home series against India and New Zealand, again used in the lower order. At the end of the 2006–07 season, the Australians played in a quadrangular tournament in Chennai and Nitschke batted in the upper-order for the first time, making 200 runs at 28.57 and top-scoring with 81, hermaiden ODI half-century, as Australia defeated New Zealand in the final. Since then, Nitschke has batted in the upper-order. During the 2007–08 season, Nitschke made three ODI half-centuries. At the start of the 2008–09 season, Nitschke struck 94 in a seven-wicket win over India, a new highest ODI score.
During the 2009 World Cup, Nitschke made 275 runs at 39.28 and took seven wickets at 28.14 at an economy rate of 3.45. Her best performance was an 87 and 3/43 in a group match against South Africa as Australia eventually came fourth after losing the third-place playoff to India.
In the inaugural Women's World Twenty20 in England in 2009, Nitschke made 130 runs at 32.50 and took five wickets at 17.80 at an economy rate of 5.56 as Australia were eliminated in the semi-finals by the hosts.
Having ended in the nineties on three previous occasions in the WNCL, Nitschke broke through for her maiden century, making two for the season and ending the competition with 486 runs. In the subsequent Rose Bowl series, she made her maiden international century, 113 not out in Invercargill, ending the eight ODIs with 343 runs at 57.16 and 12 wickets at 13.25.
Nitschke won the Belinda Clark Award in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
In the South Australian Cricket Association Women's Grade competition Nitschke played for Sturt District Cricket Club.
In July 2011, she announced her retirement from international cricket.
Domestic debut
Nitschke made her debut for South Australia at the relatively old age of 24, playing in all of her state's eight matches in the 2000–01 Women's National Cricket League (WNCL). In her debut match against reigning champions New South Wales, Nitschke made a solitary run before being run out as South Australia lost by seven wickets. At this stage of her career, Nitschke was effectively a specialist batter, and she took her only wicket of the season on the following day, taking 1/9 from three overs—the only time she bowled during the season—and scoring five as New South Wales won again. Nitschke did not pass 15 until the sixth match of the season, scoring 43 to help guide South Australia to a six-wicket win over Queensland. She ended the season with 79 runs at 9.87.
The following season, Nitschke did not bowl at all, and scored 112 runs at 16.00 with a top-score of 27 against Western Australia. South Australia won four of their eight matches and did not reach the final. In 2002–03, Nitschke began bowling on a regular basis and her batting also improved. In the second match of the season, she took 3/18 to help secure a ten-run win over the defending champions New South Wales, and later made an unbeaten 92 in a 132-run win over Western Australia, more than doubling her previous best score in the WNCL. She took 2/18 from ten overs in the final match of the season against Victoria, helping to secure a 38-run win. South Australia won five of their eight matches and did not make the final, but Nitschke scored 190 runs at 27.14 and took seven wickets at 16.57 with an economy rate of 2.57. In 2003–04, Nitschke made 136 runs at 27.20 and took six wickets at 35.66 at an economy rate of 3.24 in a consistent but unspectatular WNCL season; her two best scores of 36 and 35, both unbeaten, came in two wins against Western Australia, and she never took more than one wicket per match. South Australia won four of seven completed matches and did not reach the final.
International debut
In her first three WNCL matches in 2004–05, Nitschke scored 25 not out, 55 and 19, and took a total of 1/81 from 25 overs. This was enough to gain her selection for Australia for the first time, for a seven-match One Day International (ODI) tour to India. Nitschke was used as a specialist bowler on the dry, spin-friendly pitches of India, batting in the tail. She made her debut in the first match of the series in Mysore, taking 0/19 from six overs in a 14-run win; she was not required to bat despite the loss of six wickets. In the second game, she took her maiden international wicket, ending with 1/24 from four overs in a three-wicket win, scoring an unbeaten one from six balls as Australia reached their target with four balls remaining. In the third match in Mumbai, Nitschke made a duck and was hit for 13 runs in her first two overs and removed from the attack as the hosts won by six wickets, and was dropped for the next match. She was recalled after one match on the sidelines but then hit for 17 runs in two overs in the fifth ODI and dropped again, before taking 0/26 from seven overs in the final match and scoring 8 from 27 balls, trying to hold up the tail as Australia were dismissed for 77 and suffered an 88-run defeat. Nitschke's debut ODI series was not a success; she ended with 10 runs at 5.00 with a strike rate of 24.39 and a solitary wicket at 99.00 at an economy rate of 4.71, a high figure for women's cricket.
After the difficult initiation to international cricket, Nitschke returned to Australia for the resumption of the WNCL. She took 4/37 and 2/13 in her first two matches back, helping South Australia to successive victories over Western Australia. She followed this with 33 and 3/19 against Victoria, but was not able to prevent a 12-run defeat. Nitschke ended the season with 144 runs at 36.00 and 10 wickets at 17.50 at an economy rate of 3.43.
The late-season form was enough for Nitschke to be retained for the Rose Bowl series against New Zealand held in Western Australia before the Australians departed to South Africa for the 2005 World Cup. Nitschke played in only the third and final ODI against New Zealand, taking 1/16 from her nine overs as the hosts took victory.
2005 World Cup win and ODI regular
After arriving in South Africa, Nitschke was left on the sidelines for the first two round-robin matches against England and New Zealand. She was called into the third match against the West Indies. After scoring one run from her only delivery in the lower-order before being run out in the death overs in pursuit of quick runs, she took 1/15 from eight overs and claimed a catch in a 79-run win. Australia's batting line-up was not threatened and Nitschke was not required to bat in the remaining five matches. She took 2/32 and a catch in a 97-run win over the hosts, and then took 3/5 from six overs and took one catch as Australia dismissed Sri Lanka for 57 and won by eight wickets. In the next match she took 1/3 from six overs, conceding one single each in three of the overs as Ireland managed only 8/66 before Australia completed a ten-wicket victory. The final pool match against India was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to inclement weather, and Australia met England in the semi-finals, where Nitschke took 2/22 from seven overs before Australia overhauled the target of 159 with five wickets in hand. In the final, she took 2/14 from nine overs as Australia bowled India out for 117 to win by 98 runs. Nitschke ended the tournament with 11 wickets at 8.27 and an economy rate of 2.06, establishing herself as a bowler at international level.
Test debut
In the northern hemisphere summer of 2005, Australia toured England and Nitschke established her batting at international level on this campaign. Australia started with a stopover in Ireland, and only the second of the three ODIs was not washed out entirely. Nitschke took 4/15 in a 240-run win. Australia played two Tests in England and Nitschke made her debut in the First Test at County Ground in Hove, Sussex. She became the 146th woman to play Test cricket for Australia. Nitschke was listed to bat at No. 10 as the visitors won the toss and batted first. However, she was soon in action as Australia collapsed to be 8/191 on the first day. Joining fellow bowler Julie Hayes at the crease, Nitschke helped take the score to 236 before her partner was out for 57. Last batter Clea Smith came in and helped Nitschke to add 92 before Australia reached stumps at 9/328 with Nitschke on 70 not out. The next morning, they added a further 27 before Smith was out for 42, ending a rapid final-wicket partnership of 119 from only 101 minutes. The last two wickets put on 164 runs in 159 minutes and Nitschke ended on 81 not out with 13 fours and a six, the top-score of the innings, from 144 balls. After reaching her half-century in 111 balls, Nitschke accelerated, scoring 31 from her last 34 balls, 24 of which came in boundaries.