Ellyse Perry: The Greatest Women's Cricketer of Her Generation
Ellyse Perry is arguably the greatest women's cricketer ever — an all-rounder who has scored thousands of international runs and taken hundreds of wickets. She is also an international footballer, representing Australia in two sports.
Two-Sport International
Ellyse Alexandra Perry was born in Wahroonga, New South Wales on 3 November 1990. She became the youngest Australian to represent her country in two different sports — playing women's football (soccer) for Australia at age 16 and making her cricket debut at the same age. She eventually chose cricket as her primary focus and developed into the finest all-round cricketer women's cricket has produced in the modern era.
Batting Domination
Perry is Australia's highest run-scorer in women's Tests and has scored over 6,000 ODI runs across her career. Her 213* against England in Canberra in 2017-18 — the highest score by any woman in an Ashes Test — stands as one of the great women's Test innings. Her technique is classical, her concentration exceptional, and she regularly scores at high averages in all three formats.
Pace Bowling and All-Round Excellence
Perry is also a right-arm medium-fast bowler who has taken over 300 international wickets across all formats. Her ability to take wickets in the powerplay overs and at the death in T20 cricket is exceptional. She has led the bowling attack for Australia women's team for the majority of the past decade. Her combined batting and bowling record places her in the company of Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis among cricket's all-time all-rounders.
World Cups and Legacy
Perry has won multiple ICC Women's T20 World Cup medals with Australia and contributed to Women's Ashes victories throughout her career. She was named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year multiple times. The 2020 Women's T20 World Cup Final, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground before a crowd of 86,174 — the largest ever for a women's cricket match — took place with Perry playing a central role in Australia's victory.
Frequently asked questions
How many international wickets has Ellyse Perry taken?
Ellyse Perry has taken over 300 international wickets across all formats — Tests, ODIs and T20Is. She is a right-arm medium-fast bowler as well as Australia women's most capped and highest-scoring batter. Her combined batting and bowling record makes her arguably the greatest women's all-rounder the game has seen.
Did Ellyse Perry play two sports for Australia?
Yes — Ellyse Perry represented Australia in both cricket and association football (soccer) as a teenager. She made her debut in both sports at age 16 and became the youngest Australian to represent the country in two different international sports. She eventually focused entirely on cricket, where she became the dominant figure in women's cricket worldwide.