Australia made the bold decision to leave out veteran all-rounder Ellyse Perry for the opening Ashes game against England.
The 31-year-old – who’s played professionally in both cricket and football – is considered one of the best Australian all-rounders of all time, and in the discussion for the country’s best female cricketer.
In 126 international Twenty20 games, Perry averages 27.84 with the bat and 19.45 with the ball.
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But when the Aussies unveiled their teamsheet ahead of tonight’s T20 – the opening game of the multi-format women’s Ashes series – Perry was a glaring omission.
“Huge call, but testament to the depth of Australian cricket at the moment that they can afford to leave someone of her calibre out,” England great Isa Guha said on Fox Cricket.
“She’s arguably the greatest player that’s ever lived in women’s cricket. I know her preparation hasn’t been ideal, she joined the team late, so not getting a lot of game time under her belt before this series.
“They’ve got some really promising young guns coming into the side with the ball in hand, and with the bat so many players that have excellent strike rate.”
Australian legend Alex Blackwell believes we haven’t seen the last of Perry in Twenty20 internationals, despite a host of younger players emerging on the scene.
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Perry ready to play again
“Don’t write her off, because she is someone who’s able to grow her game and improve,” Blackwell said.
“This might be a little kicker for her to fight back into the T20 side.
“Of course we’ll see her in the Test and in the one-dayers. But it’s a scary side that can leave out Ellyse Perry.”
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