Ellyse Perry: Australia's Greatest Women's Cricketer and the World's Most Complete All-Rounder
Ellyse Perry (Australia) is a right-arm pace bowler and right-handed batter who has represented Australia in cricket and football (soccer). In cricket, she has 5,000+ ODI runs at 55+ average and 150+ ODI wickets — the only women's cricketer with 5,000+ runs and 150+ wickets in ODIs. In 2019 Women's ODI World Cup, she scored 213* vs England (the highest individual score in Women's ODI history). She was also selected for the Australian women's football team in 2007 aged 16.
Ellyse Perry made her international cricket debut in 2007 aged 16 — the same year she was selected for the Australian women's football team. She is the only Australian woman to have represented Australia in World Cups in two different sports. In cricket, she became the most statistically complete women's all-rounder in the sport's history.
The 213 Not Out
In the Women's ODI World Cup 2022 (held in New Zealand) group stage, Perry scored 213* vs England in the first Women's ODI semi-final qualification match, batting for 225 minutes. The innings was the highest individual score in Women's ODI history. She batted at No. 3 and combined with Beth Mooney (117) in a record-breaking partnership. Australia made 293, won by 96 runs. The performance came during the most productive batting phase of Perry's career (2019–2022), during which she averaged 90+ in Women's ODIs across 15 innings.
ICC Recognition
Perry was named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Decade (2011–2020) — voted by a panel of cricket journalists and former players. She is the only women's cricketer to hold simultaneous No. 1 rankings in ICC batting and bowling rankings at the same time (she achieved this in 2017 briefly). She has played for Sydney Sixers and New South Wales in WBBL. The 2020 T20 WC final at the MCG was played on her birthday — she was recovering from knee surgery and did not play, watching Australia win.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Smriti Mandhana, and why is she considered the most important figure in India women's cricket today?
Smriti Mandhana: India women's cricket profile and significance. Smriti Mandhana (born 1996) is India's leading women's batter and the most recognised Indian women's cricketer globally. Career statistics: 5,000+ Women's ODI runs at 43+ average; 2,500+ Women's T20I runs at 25+ average (top of India's Women's T20I run-scorers); 50+ Women's T20I fifties. Playing style: Mandhana is a left-handed opening batter known for elegant strokeplay through the off side — her cover drive and pull shot are consistently cited as the best women's batting shots in the modern game. She bats in the style of a classic Test batter adapted to limited-overs cricket: attacking off front foot with straight drives and cuts, not reliant on power-hitting. ICC recognition: ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year: 2018 and 2021 (only the second person to win it twice). Named in ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022). ICC Women's T20I Batter of the Year: 2022. Why she is significant: (1) She is the most-watched Indian women's cricketer, with a social media following exceeding 5 million — unusual for women's cricket in India. (2) Her performances (including a century in the 2017 Women's WC final vs Australia, 90 runs in the 2020 T20 WC semi-final vs England) occurred on cricket's biggest stages. (3) The BCCI's investment in the Women's Premier League (WPL, 2023) used Mandhana's brand profile as the marquee player — she was retained at ₹1.5 crore by RCB Women (highest Indian retained player). (4) As a left-hander who scores freely in all conditions and formats, she is the template for India's next generation of women's cricketers.