Insight

Lindsay Vilas Boas: From community cricket in Brazil to Australia’s Gold Coast

Lindsay Vilas Boas enjoyed a fantastic tournament for Brazil at the recent 2026 Women’s Four Nations Tournament in Switzerland, hitting 29 fours and seven sixes across the competition.

She was a well-deserving winner of the tournament’s MVP award, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 202 runs in four matches, averaging 50.50 with an impressive strike rate of 226.7.

Her highest score of 121 against Jersey came off just 58 balls, while in the same match she also picked up three wickets for 26 runs, finishing the tournament with five wickets in total.

Like her teammate Carolina Nascimento and Brazil men’s captain Michel Assunção, Lindsay first discovered cricket through a community project that offered several workshops, including different sports and activities. It was here where she took her first steps in cricket, beginning a journey that would eventually take her across the world.

“My first experience with cricket was in 2015 through a community project that offered several workshops, including sports, music, dance, cooking … and cricket was one of them,” she tells Emerging Cricket.

“I liked it immediately because it closely resembled taco (also known as bete), a traditional street game we all played back then.

“Soon after, I began training at Caldense with greater dedication. That’s where I realized there were national teams and that the girls travelled to compete. From that moment on, making the team became my goal too.

Just two years after first discovering cricket through the community project, Vilas Boas made her debut for Brazil at the age of just 17, representing her country at the South American Championships in Colombia.

In Brazil’s match against Peru, where they secured victory in just 5.5 overs, Vilas Boas picked up the MVP award, the first of many to come in her cricketing career.

It proved to be a successful debut tournament for the young Brazilian, as Brazil went on to win the competition with an unbeaten record.

“Back then I played as a wicket-keeper, and they needed an extra keeper. I was really nervous and excited because it would be my first South American Championship.” She explained.

Cricket hasn’t just given her the opportunity to represent her country internationally, but it has also helped her gain an education, develop as an athlete and become a role model for other children in her community.

“Since I started, cricket has always been a path full of opportunities,” she said.

“It was that way when I became an athlete, and when I became a teacher and started teaching children to play, just like someone once taught me.

“I had the chance to be part of the university project, and today I teach in social projects. With each passing year, I see more people getting the opportunity to play, go to college, and help cricket grow.”

It is a journey that has come full circle for Vilas Boas, having first discovered cricket through a community project herself. She is now helping to teach the next generation of children and guiding them through their first steps in the sport, just as others did for her when she was first introduced to cricket.

It also highlights the importance of these projects in Brazil, where cricket is still developing and slowly growing in popularity. Opportunities to play the sport are not widely available, but through community projects that offer more than just cricket, they are helping to develop the sport across the country whilst also providing children with guidance and support in their everyday lives.

Vilas Boas has enjoyed a steady international career with Brazil, but in 2025, the Brazilian was given the opportunity to play grade cricket in Australia with the Gold Coast Dolphins, an opportunity she was keen to take.

In Brazil, much of the national team’s training and matches are focused on the T20 format. However, grade cricket in Australia presents a different challenge, with longer days playing 50-over matches, often in hot weather. It also brings more of a mental challenge compared to T20 cricket, with players having to maintain their concentration over a much longer period.

“In 2025, another athlete, Maria Eduarda, and I were invited to play a season in Australia to gain more experience on grass cricket pitches, because in Brasil we just play on artificial pitch. And to be honest, it was an unmissable offer,” Vilas Boas explained.

“The biggest change was playing 50 overs games, in Brazil we always play T20 and changing my style of batting has still been a difficulty.

Her time in Australia has been impressive so far. In just her second match for the Gold Coast Dolphins, she scored an impressive 54 runs off 44 balls against Northern Suburbs.

As she continues to find her feet and adjust to playing cricket in a new country, the experience will undoubtedly be a huge boost to her development. Playing in Australia, where cricket is played at a higher level, will give her the opportunity to improve her skills and gain valuable experience, which will also benefit her when representing Brazil at international level.

“I was very happy and honoured to be part of the first grade this year and I really hope I can help the team grow in some way,” she said. “Being part of this team means that all the effort and every training has been working out.”

The Brazil cricket team have recently been on journeys across Europe and Rwanda, developing their game and testing themselves against non-South American opposition whenever the opportunity arises.

This year, Brazil enjoyed success in both Rwanda and Europe, claiming silverware in both tournaments.

One of the key performers for Brazil was Vilas Boas, who was named MVP at the Four Nations Tournament in Switzerland, which featured Jersey, Spain, Switzerland and, of course, Brazil.

In the match against Jersey, she scored an impressive 121 runs off just 58 deliveries, one of the standout performances of the tournament.

“Each country teaches me something unique, on and off the field. I have a huge affection for playing in Rwanda, where we face high-level teams. Every year, we realize our evolution by beating teams that previously seemed unbeatable,” she reflected.

“In addition, Rwanda is an example of strength and reconstruction, and we have always been extremely well received there.

“Australia, on the other hand, has my heart: I love the dynamics of the country and I feel that’s where my best version really gains space.

“Traveling to Switzerland was already an old dream, but winning the championship and the MVP award took this experience to another level. It was, without a doubt, the realization of a set of dreams.

On her score of 121: “To be honest, I didn’t imagine I would reach that score. I think I got into state of flow – when I saw that I had reached 100 runs, I had a hard time believing what was happening. It was an unbelievable day.”

Brazil’s recent performances in both the women’s and men’s game show just how far the national teams have come over the last decade or so. Much of their cricket has traditionally been played against fellow South American nations, but opportunities to compete in tournaments in Europe and Africa have allowed them to test themselves against different opposition.

Their recent successes in Rwanda and Switzerland are another indication of the progress being made in Brazilian cricket, showing that the national teams are not only capable of competing against sides in South America but can also take their skills and experience and perform against teams outside of their usual opposition

Vilas Boas also spoke about her goals going forward.

“Some of my goals in Gold Coast are to play on the first grade and help the team achieve their targets. Just like last year, when we won the title of the second grade, I hope we can be champions in the first grade as well.

From first discovering cricket through a community project in Brazil to representing her country and playing cricket in Australia, it has been a remarkable journey for Vilas Boas, who will undoubtedly have strong ambitions to continue developing her game in Australia whilst helping Brazil achieve further success internationally and continuing to grow the sport in her home country.

You’re reading Emerging Cricket — brought to you by a passionate group of volunteers with a vision for cricket to be a truly global sport, and a mission to inspire passion to grow the game.

Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, please subscribe for regular updates, and follow EC on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Don’t know where to start? Check out our features list, country profiles, and subscribe to our podcast. Support us from US$2 a month — and get exclusive benefits, by becoming an EC Patron.

Louis Smith