Frances Mackay
Frances Louise "Frankie" Mackay is a New Zealand cricketer and commentator who currently plays for Canterbury and New Zealand [women's national cricket team|New Zealand].
In November 2024, Mackay became the leading run-scorer in the history of domestic one-day cricket in New Zealand. She is also the leading women's wicket-taker at the same level.
Early life
Mackay attended Burnside Primary School, where she played both cricket and rugby union. At Cobham Intermediate School she opened the batting with Corey Anderson. She joined the Lancaster Park Cricket Club in 2002 aged twelve, where she was coached by Selena Charteris.Playing career
Mackay debuted for Canterbury in their trophy-winning 2007–08 State League season. She was first selected for the national team in 2011 and played regularly at international level until 2014, when she was dropped after the 2014 [Women's World Twenty20].In January 2019, Mackay was recalled to New Zealand's squad to play in the Women's Twenty20 International series against India, after a gap of five years since she last played an international match.
In March 2019, she was named as the Burger King Super Smash Women's Player of the Year at the annual New Zealand Cricket awards. In May 2021, Mackay was awarded with her first central contract from New Zealand Cricket ahead of the 2021–22 season. In February 2022, she was named in New Zealand's team for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
Mackay is a proponent of the controversial mode of dismissal known as a Mankad, the act of running out a non-striker who has left their ground early. In the media, Mackay has defended other bowlers after high-profile Mankad incidents, and as a player she once obtained three dismissals via Mankads in a single domestic season. She was reputedly told to use this mode of dismissal less often.
Commentary career
Mackay is a regular commentator of men's and women's domestic and international cricket in New Zealand. She began her media career on Lesley Murdoch's Saturday radio sports show in Christchurch. This led to a commentary role on Radio Sport for the West Indies tour of New Zealand in March 2018. She began calling men's and women's matches on television during the 2018–19 Super Smash for Sky Sport. During Bangladesh's tour of New Zealand in January 2022, Mackay and Katey Martin became New Zealand's first all-women cricket commentary team during a men's Test match. This was not scheduled deliberately; as members of a larger commentary squad, Mackay and Martin happened to be rostered together and they only realised the significance afterwards.Mackay has also commentated the Everest Premier League in Nepal.