While juggling her full-time job as a waste collector and later a postwoman, Fitzpatrick represented Australia in cricket on 124 occasions.[6] She made her international debut in 1991 and went on to play 13 Test matches, taking 60 wickets (the second-most by an Australian woman, only behind Betty Wilson) at an average of 19.11.[7]
On 25 February 2006, Fitzpatrick became the oldest woman to take a five-wicket haul in ODI history, at the age of 37 years and 358 days.[12] In March 2007, she announced her retirement from international cricket and also brought her domestic career with Victoria to an end after taking 148 wickets in 103 WNCL matches.[13]
From May 2012 to March 2015, Fitzpatrick served as head coach of the Australian women's team, overseeing three successful world championship campaigns.[14]
Due to limitations of available technological resources in her playing tenure, Fitzpatrick's top and average speeds are estimates rather than precise figures. Thorough eye-witness testimony agrees she was the world's fastest female bowler during her prime years,[17][18][19] while sporadic measurements indicated her quickest delivery was at least 125 km/h.[20][21][22] This evaluation holds up both impressively and credibly compared to modern women's cricket which is characterised by its increased professional standards—as of 2019, the fastest current bowlers are South Africa's Shabnim Ismail and New Zealand's Lea Tahuhu, who have been officially recorded at speeds of 128 km/h and 126 km/h respectively.[23]
