Perry in good company among all-time greats
ELLYSE Perry could be the greatest allrounder Test cricket has seen.
Perry rewrote the record books against England on Saturday, amassing the highest ever score by an Australian woman in a Test match as she finished on 213 not out.
Perry’s Ashes knock was also the third-highest of any player in women’s Test history, the highest unbeaten total and also the highest on Australian soil. But, in reality, Saturday’s runfest, which helped Australia to a mammoth 9-448 declared, was just another step in the evolution of the 27-yearold as a cricketer.
The unbeaten innings took her Test average to 61.71, the third-highest in the history of the women’s game.
With the ball she ranks 12th, at an equally impressive average of 16.76. It leaves her as one of only two players in the history of the men’s or women’s game to sit inside the top 15 in both categories – the other being 1970s English fe- male star Enid Bakewell.
Perry’s positive margin of 44.95 between her batting and bowling average is the biggest in the women’s game, while only Don Bradman’s is higher in the men’s game, thanks to his extraordinary batting prowess.
While Perry came into the Australia side predominantly as a bowler in her teens, she says she believed she had always been an allrounder.
“Initially got an opportunity in the bowling ranks and that was really great and I loved it but growing up but I’ve always batted and always loved batting,” Perry said.
“I spent a lot of hours in the nets with my dad who has thrown over a million balls to me in his life.”
Australian cricket legend Belinda Clark remarked last week she had never seen another player like Perry. Right now, it’s pretty hard to argue with her.
I SPENT A LOT OF HOURS IN THE NETS WITH MY DAD WHO HAS THROWN OVER A MILLION BALLS TO ME IN HIS LIFE ELLYSE PERRY