Ever-evolving Perry takes game to new level

A year after Ellyse Perry was squeezed out of Australia’s best T20I XI, Meg Lanning has declared the star allrounder will play a major role in next month’s T20 World Cup title defence.

Fresh off scoring the two highest scores of her international T20 career in India last December – knocks of 75 and 72 not out in consecutive innings – Perry carried that form into last week’s state one-day action, striking back-to-back tons.

Perry the run machine is nothing new.

Perry churning out the runs at career-best strike rates is another level.

Her innings in India came at 160 and 171 respectively, while her highest List A score of 147 for Victoria against New South Wales last week was followed by her quickest List A hundred, an unbeaten 130 off 95 balls, two days later.

"She's something else at the moment with the bat," Lanning said of her Australia and Victoria teammate on Sunday.

"I watched a little bit from the other end (against NSW), and she was very impressive, it looked very easy.

"Once she gets going and starts taking the bowling on like this, there's no one who can really stop her.

"It's very exciting for our team that she's gone to another level which was pretty difficult in itself, given how good she is, but she's going to be a major contributor for us, not just in this 50-over stuff, but in the T20 World Cup as well."

For Perry, the need to increase her scoring rate to win back a spot in Australia’s best T20 XI, after being dropped ahead of last January’s Ashes, was just the latest challenge in an international career that started in 2009.

After carrying the drinks throughout Australia’s triumphant Commonwealth Games campaign, she finally got the chance to wield the willow in The Hundred and has not looked back since.

She hit 134 runs at 136.73 for Birmingham Phoenix, then took that form into WBBL|08, scoring 408 runs at 119.64 for Sydney Sixers.

The retirement of Rachael Haynes and the absence of Lanning then opened a window in India, which the 32-year-old seized with both hands.

"One of the biggest things that I think provides me with so much enjoyment is just working on things and continuing to challenge yourself to get to get better," Perry said.

"And sometimes that happens in a short period of time, other times it takes years to evolve.

"I think across my career, that's sort of just how it's flowed.

"I've really loved the last little bit, but equally, I've loved all the challenges along the way."

Australia will go into next month’s World Cup in South Africa strong favourites to win a third consecutive title, and Perry’s current form only bolsters those claims, as she joins an already potent middle-order containing renowned power-hitters Ashleigh Gardner and Grace Harris.

But Perry, who watched the final of the 2020 event at the MCG from the sidelines after tearing her hamstring in Australia’s final group game, says the world champions will have their work cut out for them.

"Two years is a really long period of time in the women's game at the moment," Perry said.

"It's just progressing so quickly and developing. And not just in Australia, but around the world.

"So from a competition perspective, I think it's going to be the tightest one yet.

"I think there's so many teams pushing for a spot in the final and to be successful. It's going to be a big challenge for us."

CommBank ODI Series

Monday Jan 16:Allan Border Field, Brisbane 10:05am

Wednesday Jan 18:Allan Border Field, Brisbane 10:05am

Saturday Jan 21:North Sydney Oval, 11:05am

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Australia ODI squad: Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland

Pakistan ODI squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Tuba Hassan