Marking her 300th international appearance, cricket superstar Ellyse Perry scored the winning runs to level Australia’s T20 series against India.
The 33-year-old was Australia’s top scorer with 34 runs from 21 balls during innings that included three fours and two sixes.
Perry smashed the ball over the boundary rope to secure the victory with an over to spare as she and Phoebe Litchfield paired up to chase down India’s eight for 130. This levelled the T20 series with a match to come on Tuesday after India won by nine wickets in the opener.
“It’s lovely to get the win,” Perry said. “A nice comeback for us. We got a bit of a what-for the other night.”
“It was a superb bowling effort in the first innings. Kim [Garth] was sensational up front. Wickets are crucial in that power play. It was a difficult chase but a nice finish.”
As she took the field on Sunday in Navi Mumbai, India, Perry became just the fourth woman and the first Australian to make 300 international appearances.
In light of this milestone, fellow cricketers and friends of Perry have spoken out about the positive impact that she’s had on sport and how she’s inspired the next generation of athletes.
To help beat India, Kim Garth, Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham all took two wickets each. And while she didn’t bowl, Perry took two catches in the outfield and effected a run-out off the final ball of the Indian innings.
Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney then racked up 51 runs in the opening partnership before Healy departed for 26 in the eighth over.
“We probably still didn’t execute as much as we’d want but we are happy to take the win,” skipper Healy said.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said the organisation looks forward to watching “Ellyse and the rest of the Australian team take on South Africa in a multi-format series which begins on January 27 in Canberra”.
Speaking about Perry’s particularly impressive performance, Hockley declared she’s “one of the finest all rounders the game has ever seen” and “the most inspiring role model for young people aspiring to play sport”.
Elysse Perry’s sporting career
A global icon of the game and arguably the best athlete in Australia, Perry began playing cricket at a young age and made her debut for the Australian cricket team in 2007 at the age of 16.
With her all-round performance, Perry has claimed multiple awards at the ICC Awards of the Decade including the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade.
The Sydney-born athlete has represented Australia in both cricket and soccer World Cups.
An inspiration for cricketers worldwide, Perry has become a regular asset for the Australian women’s cricket team. She played in the 2009 ICC Women’s World Cup and the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the same year.
Perry was a star player in Australia’s three-peat of World T20 victories, also sealing her spot in the Team and the Tournament in 2012 and 2014.
During the 2018 ICC Women’s World T20 tournament, Perry was a key part of Australia’s journey to winning a fourth ICC World T20 championship. It was in this tournament that she became the first cricketer for Australia, male or female, to play 100 Twenty20 international matches. She also became the first to take 100 wickets in Twenty20 international matches.
Perry joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 1.70 Crore alongside cricketing stars like skipper Smriti Mandhana and English all-rounder Heather Knight.