Perry to join elite company in 100-club

Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry will join elite company on Monday when she walks out onto the field for her country for the 100th time in a one-day international.

Perry joins Alex Blackwell, Karen Rolton, Lisa Sthalekar, Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Belinda Clark as the only Australians to have played 100 one-dayers, while the third ODI against Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur also marks Perry's 200th match for Australia across all formats.

Only former vice-captain Alex Blackwell, who retired earlier this year after 251 appearances for Australia, has worn the green and gold for the Southern Stars on more occasions.

The 27-year-old is currently the world's top-ranked ODI batter and allrounder and while she's already been playing at international level for 11 years, her teammates are adamant the best is yet to come.

"I think the thing with Pez is that she's continuing to get better every season," Australia batter Elyse Villani told cricket.com.au. 

"She's always adding something to her game. You think she's reached her potential and then the season after she's brought something else into her game.

Image Id: 1DBC04097D604CC0AE074C8016C80583 Image Caption: Perry is always seeking to improve // Getty

"It's pretty unbelievable I guess, that a player of her calibre is always improving. 

"That's something I really admire in her. And the fact that she does both (batting and bowling) particularly well is an absolute credit to the amount of time that she spends on it, the dedication that she shows in her cricket is pretty unbelievable. 

"She's an enormous talent, but she works bloody hard as well."

A tireless worker both in the nets and in the gym, Perry has evolved from a teenage tearaway who made headlines when she debuted for Australia aged 16 in 2007 to the world's finest allrounder in the 50-over game.

It took six years for Perry to be elevated into Australia's top five – at the time, she had a sole half-century to her name in ODI cricket.

Since that move, Perry has scored 2,068 runs at 73.57, has made 24 half-centuries in 43 innings and climbed above captain Meg Lanning in the ICC's ODI batting charts. She currently averages 49.98 in the format.

Image Id: EED8540139694B6AA06914EB726F5C4F Image Caption: Perry scores more against England // Getty

"She's gotten better every year that she's played, every one-day game that she's played, she's really taken her game to another level," Australia opener Nicole Bolton told cricket.com.au. 

"I think what makes her so good is the fact that she can bowl 10 overs and then she can go out and make a 100. 

"I don't know too many players that have the stamina, the fitness, the concentration, the work ethic to be able to do that."

It was with the ball that Perry's reputation was initially forged and she's currently Australia's third-most prolific ODI wicket-taker, behind Cathryn Fitzpatrick (180) and Lisa Sthalekar (146) having captured 131 wickets at 25.78 since that first one-day appearance against New Zealand in Darwin.

For a time it appeared her skills with the bat were well and truly on track to outshine her abilities with the ball, but she remains Australia's fastest bowler and teammate Beth Mooney believes her hard graft to consistently find ways to improve with the ball across the past 12-18 months have paid off.

Image Id: 8036F82FBE5A49BA9AF9A2FC435E83FD Image Caption: Perry's first wicket on ODI debut // Getty

"I think it's probably pretty even (between her batting and bowling) at the moment," Australia batter Beth Mooney reflected. 

"I think her bowling has come along in the last 12 months to be a bit more threatening than probably three or four years ago. 

"So I think now I'd say it's probably a bit more even than a couple of years ago.

"She's definitely an all-round athlete and all-round player for whatever team she plays for, it's nice to have that many strings to your bow."

But perhaps Perry's most admirable quality is her ability to rise to the occasion on the biggest stages.

In the 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean, it was Perry's right foot - and her lightning-fast reflexes – that sealed a nail-biting victory over New Zealand.

The White Ferns needed five runs to win or four to force a super over with just one ball remaining  and with the dangerous Sophie Devine at the crease.

Under immense pressure, Perry bowled the final ball of the tournament. Devine hammered a powerful straight drive – a shot that should have flown down the ground to the boundary – but Perry managed to somehow stick out her right foot and deflect the ball to mid-on, conceding just a single.

In last summer's first-ever women's day-night Ashes Test, she struck the highest Test score by an Australian woman, wowing the North Sydney Oval crowd with an unbeaten 213.

And when Australia won the 50-over World Cup in 2013, it was Perry, again, who triumphed over adversity when she bowled Australia to victory on one leg.

After missing the three matches leading up to the final due to an injured ankle – which turned out to be broken – the then-22-year-old was determined to line up alongside her teammates for the final at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium.

Chasing Australia's 7-259 for victory, the West Indies were going steady at 0-32 in the 10th over when skipper Jodie Fields threw Perry the ball.

Image Id: B9CDC40C82C64D51B24F4F5AEBE72496 Image Caption: Perry delivers in 2013 World Cup final // Getty

The quick charged in for her first delivery, but pulled up short, limping. Her second attempt at a delivery produced the same result.

She rallied, fought through the pain and with her sixth ball, trapped Windies opener Kycia Knight lbw.

Her 10th delivery had Windies star Stafanie Taylor caught and bowled. Her fifteenth, Natasha McLean.

After three overs, she had 3-2 and the West Indies never recovered, Perry bowling her full 10 overs to finish with figures of 3-19.

"I remember I was watching on TV, it was the 2013 World Cup in India," Bolton reflected.

"She'd hurt her ankle and she was going into bowl and then she pulled out and started limping.

"I was thinking she's not going to be able to bowl here.

Image Id: 2AD5D6B2C6354B0CA5885B35D0265BEC Image Caption: Ellyse Perry, Australian icon // Getty

"And then all of a sudden she came back and took three key wickets against the West Indies in three overs and they never really recovered. 

"So I think we can talk a lot about her batting and how good it is, but I think that just showed how much playing for Australia means to her and basically that bowling spell won them the World Cup."

CommBank Tour of Malaysia

Australia ODI squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Australia T20 & World T20 squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen (subject to fitness), Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Pakistan ODI/T20 squad: Javeria Khan (c), Bibi Nahida, Ayesha Zafar, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Sidra Amin, Omaima Sohail, Nida Rashid, Sidra Nawaz, Sana Mir, Nashra Sundhu, Anum Amin, Natalia Parvaiz, Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Aiman Anwar

October 18: Australia won the first ODI by five wickets

October 20: Australia won the second ODI by 150 runs

October 22: Third ODI v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval

October 25: First T20I v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval

October 27: Second T20I v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval

October 29: Third T20I v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval

2018 ICC Women's World T20  

November 9: Australia v Pakistan, Province Stadium, Guyana

November 11: Australia v Ireland, Province Stadium

November 13: Australia v New Zealand, Province Stadium

November 17: Australia v India, Province Stadium

November 22: Semi-finals, Sir Vivian Richards Ground, Antigua

November 24: Final, Sir Vivian Richards Ground