Is Ellyse Perry the Best Women's Cricketer in Cricket's Golden Era?

(Ellyse Perry in Australia’s training kit)

Two ODI World Cups, six T20 World Cups, Gold in Commonwealth Games, two Women's Big Bash League Titles, one Women's Premier League title, T20I Cricketer of the Decade, ODI Cricketer of the Decade, and Cricketer of the Decade, sounds like the perfect portfolio to be made by any Women's cricketer. Some have yet to achieve even 20% of the same, while Ellyse Perry has these records under her head.

Ellyse Perry has been among the most popular women's cricketers in recent years, as there has been almost no cricket achievement that the player still needs to make. The Australian All-rounder has been a part of the Women's Australian team in the ICC World Cup and T20 World Cup and has also won various famous domestic tournaments like the Women's Premier League, Women's Big Bash League, Women's T20 Challenge, and is yet to win the shortest format of the game, which is The Hundred. At the age of 16 years, Ellyse Perry became the first ever individual to represent her country in both the FIFA World Cup and the ICC World Cup, showing her mark in the sports field.

After watching her success on the cricket field, Ellyse Perry decided to leave football, and since then, her cricket career has flourished. Being an aggressive batsman and a fast bowler, Ellyse Perry has also made various statistical achievements in women's cricket. Ellyse Perry also became the first player to score 1000 international runs and 100 wickets combined. She also has the highest individual score in the Australia Women's team test format, scoring 213 runs. Within a few years, Ellyse Perry became the third player to secure 150 wickets in the International format.

International Debut

Ellyse Perry made her international debut across all three formats from 2007-08. When she debuted for Australia against New Zealand, she played her first match at the senior level, but since then, she has never looked back. In her ODI debut against New Zealand, Ellyse Perry became the youngest International debutante for Australia, making her debut at the age of 16 years. Perry took two wickets in the game, conceding 37 runs and scoring 19 runs in 20 balls in her first match.

(Ellyse Perry playing for Australia in a match)

Perry made her T20 International debut against England, played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Ellyse Perry played an all-round inning, taking 4 wickets while conceding just 20 runs and scoring 29 runs off 25 balls. This also confirmed that Ellyse Perry is the Star of the Future for Australian cricket and worldwide. Later, in the Ashes 2007-08, Ellyse Perry became the youngest debutant in the Test format. Perry scored 21 runs in 77 balls in her first inning, which helped Australia when their batting line-up collapsed. On the second day, Ellyse Perry took her first International Test wicket by dismissing Caroline Atkins, as Perry took 2 wickets in her spell of 23 overs.

1. Winning T20 World Cups

Ellyse Perry made her T20 World Cup debut in 2009, and she went on to help Australia win the T20 World Cup in 2010. Australia Women faced India Women in the tournament's semi-finals, where Ellyse Perry took a wicket while conceding 19 runs. She was able to help Australia break the partnership of 57 runs between Harmanpreet Kaur and Poonam Raut, which also became the match's turning point. In the final clash against New Zealand, Ellyse Perry played an essential role by helping Australia to defend the target of 107 and winning the first T20 World Cup by 3 runs.

Later in the 2012 T20 World Cup, Ellyse Perry helped Australia again in the Knockout matches by taking crucial wickets against West Indies and England. In the semi-final match against West Indies, Ellyse Perry took two wickets, then took a wicket in the final match. Perry also helped Australia win their third consecutive T20 World Cup in 2015, which was being played in Bangladesh. Ellyse Perry helped Australia defeat West Indies in the Knockout stage by scoring 41 runs in 29 balls. Later, in the final match against England, Ellyse Perry took two wickets and scored 31 runs while playing the championship-winning shot.

(Ellyse Perry with the Australian team after winning the T20 World Cup)

The 2018 Women's T20 World Cup was being played in the Caribbean, where Ellyse Perry played an important role in the initial stages of the tournament. During this tournament, Ellyse Perry became the first Australian Women's cricketer to play 100 T20I games and take 100 T20I wickets. In the final clash against England, Ellyse Perry did the match turning run out, which helped Australia to win their fourth T20 World Cup. Ellyse Perry was also a part of the Australian team in the 2020 T20 World Cup, where she played in the quarter-final match against New Zealand. Perry and Rachel Haynes put forward a 32-run stand in the first innings, which later helped Australia to secure a win. But Perry suffered a torn hamstring, which caused her to miss the remaining tournament.

In 2023, Ellyse Perry made her best contribution for Australia in the T20 World Cup, where she scored 40 runs in 22 balls in the first match against New Zealand for the 97 runs victory. Perry did high-quality fielding in the intense semi-final match against India, winning the final clash against South Africa to become the six-time T20 World Champions.

2. ODI World Cup

Ellyse Perry was a part of the Australian team in the 2013 World Cup, which was being played in India. Although Ellyse Perry missed the first three matches due to an injury, she performed best in the Knockouts, helping Australia win the final clash by an impressive margin of 114 runs. Ellyse Perry had bowled ten overs in the game while taking 3 wickets and conceding 19 runs. Even after an injury, Perry played in the World Cup, so she underwent ankle surgery after the tournament.

(Ellyse Perry with Man of the Match award in ODI World Cup)

In the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup, Ellyse Perry showcased her dominance, taking consecutive Player of the Match trophies before heading to the semi-finals. Australia faced New Zealand in the group stages, where Ellyse Perry scored 68 runs and even took the important wicket of Ellyse Perry, which played an essential role in Australia's 141-run victory. Against the West Indies, Ellyse Perry was able to take down the top order of the West Indies, allowing Australia to secure a 7 wickets win.

3. Women's National Cricket League

Ellyse Perry debuted in the Women's National Cricket League while playing the first season in 2007-08. She played for New South Wales, and her maiden wicket was that of the iconic Karen Rolton. Since her debut in the Women's National Cricket League, Ellyse Perry has been a part of the winning team in ten tournaments, making her among the most successful players in the history of the Women's National Cricket League. During the 2008-09 final clash against Victoria, Ellyse Perry took 4 wickets while conceding 23 runs, which also helped her become the Player of the Match.

In the 2009-10 season, Ellyse Perry took 22 wickets for New South Wales at an average of 10.63 runs per wicket while also being the leading wicket-taker in the 2010-11 season. During the 2014-15 Women's National Cricket League final, Ellyse Perry scored 57 runs in 50 balls, allowing New South Wales to win again. Ellyse Perry scored her first T20 century, scoring 126 runs in 115 balls, which also helped her to be the leading run scorer in the 2015-16 season. Perry even dominated the 2023 WNCL, scoring 88 runs against New South Wales and a century in the next game, which helped Victoria win the title.

4. Women's Big Bash League

Ellyse Perry has won two consecutive Big Bash League Titles while heading to the tournament finals often. During the 2015-16 season of the Women's Big Bash League, Ellyse Perry was the first signing by the Sydney Sixers, which allowed her to be the team's captain. Perry led the team to the tournament finals, where they lost against Sydney Thunder by three wickets. In the 2016-17 Women's Big Bash League, Ellyse Perry helped Sydney Sixers to reach the playoffs, where she unfortunately missed the playoffs due to a hamstring injury. Perry watched the final match against Perth Scorchers, where Sydney Sixers lifted their first Women's Big Bash League title.

(Ellyse Perry holding Women’s Big Bash League title)

In the next season, Ellyse Perry dominated for the Sydney Sixers, being the tournament's top run scorer, scoring 552 runs at an average of 46. The final match was against Perth Scorchers yet again, where Ellyse Perry scored 36 runs and even scored the winning shot for her team. Since then, Sydney Sixers have been able to reach the tournament finals but have yet to secure another title win in the Women's Big Bash League. Perry even performed well in the fourth Women's Big Bash League but fell short of helping Sydney Sixers win their third consecutive title.

5. Women's Premier League

Ellyse Perry broke the curse for the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women, as the team won the second Women's Premier League, allowing the RCB franchise to win their first title. Perry had an impressive performance in the tournament, marking her comeback in the RCB Women's group stage match against Mumbai Indians Women. Ellyse Perry took six wickets for the team. Later, Ellyse Perry scored the winning runs for the team crowned as the Player of the Match.

(Ellyse Perry in Royal Challengers Bangalore for Women’s Premier League)

In the Eliminator match, which was against Mumbai Indians Women, Ellyse Perry scored an impressive 66 runs with the bat while taking a wicket in her four-over spell, which helped Royal Challengers Bangalore Women to reach the finals. Ellyse Perry went wicketless in the final match against Delhi Capitals but scored 35 runs in 37 balls, which helped Royal Challengers Bangalore Women to win the Women's Premier League. Ellyse Perry had the best bowling figures in the tournament, taking 6 wickets and conceding 15 runs, and was also the tournament's top run scorer, scoring 347 runs at an average of 69.40.