World champions portrait unveiled at MCG

The legacy of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 Final has been forever immortalised, as the Melbourne Cricket Club commissioned, with the support of Cricket Australia, portrait of the world champion Australian Women’s Cricket Team was unveiled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) last night.

Two-time Doug Moran National Portrait Prize winning artist, Vincent Fantauzzo, Melbourne Cricket Club President Michael Happell alongside World Cup winning squad members Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux and Delissa Kimmince, were on hand to reveal the artwork – a ‘team of the century’-style creation depicting the moment of celebration for all 16 squad members of the T20 World Cup-winning Australian team.

The artwork will be showcased on the Level 2 corridors of the Melbourne Cricket Club Members’ Reserve in close proximity to the iconic Long Room, and is the first artwork to depict a Women’s sporting team to be on permanent display at the MCG.

It will be on display along the route of the world-famous MCG Tour, visible to the approximate130,000 people including families and schoolchildren who undertake tours each year.

March 8, 2022, is International Women’s Day and marks the two year anniversary of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 Final at the MCG, which saw 86,174 fans – an Australian attendance record for a standalone women’s sporting event and the highest crowd figure for a women’s cricket match globally.

Announced on International Women’s Day in 2021, Mr Fantauzzo has set about the last 12 months conceptualising and creating the portrait in close consultation with all Australian World Cup squad members through a mix of in-person and video calls due to the COVID-19 lockdowns and state border closures.

Mr Fantauzzo – whose portraiture work extends to the likes of the late Heath Ledger, film director Baz Luhrmann and former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard – said this project was one of the most important of his career.

“This is my first major commission for sport, and while I’ve painted sportspeople before, this one took on an extra layer of significance because of what the World Cup moment here at the MCG represents to history, to the players themselves and to those that witnessed it,” Mr Fantauzzo said.

“Because of that there was a little bit of nervousness in unveiling it because it’s one thing to get the reaction of one person whose portrait you’re painting. This time I’ve got 16 people’s reactions, plus their friends and family, and the wider Australian public.

“The players have been an absolute joy to work with, they brought into the concept straight away. To get to know them and their story has been a real privilege.

“Our Australian women’s sporting teams have been leading the way on the international stage for a number of years now, so to bring this piece to life and to have everyone enjoy what it represents has been a career highlight.”

With this year’s International Women’s Day theme of ‘Break The Bias’, MCC President Michael Happell said the artwork was an important step in the direction of how gender equality can be represented.

“We are delighted to be able showcase this important piece of artwork; it is an incredible artefact that inspires and will continue to shape the discussion around women’s sport well into the future,” Mr Happell said.

“This ground-breaking piece supports our ambitions to showcase and celebrate the achievements of our female sporting athletes and indeed our national women’s sporting teams on the walls of the Members’ Reserve.

“The Club is committed to striving towards diversity, inclusivity and equality and we are proud to display this artefact in the Members’ Reserve and the MCG for our members, guests and all visitors to the MCG to enjoy.

Australian Women’s Team Captain Meg Lanning said it was an honour for the side to be the first women’s sporting team to be immortalised in art at the MCG.

“The ICC Women’s World Cup final in 2020 was a special day and now to have a piece of artwork to remember the occasion is really exciting,” Lanning said.

“Whilst we couldn’t be there, having the artwork unveiled the night before International Women’s Day, which will mark two years since winning the final, reminds us of what can be achieved.

“We hope that we can make all our fans at home proud and emulate our performance from that World Cup in 2020 while we are here in New Zealand competing for the 50-over version.

“It was great to work with Vincent during the process and we would like to thank him, the Melbourne Cricket Club and Cricket Australia for bringing it life.

“We hope it can inspire all visitors to the MCG to pick up a bat and ball.”