Perry keen on annual women's match

Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry hopes to see an annual women's international at North Sydney Oval become a landmark event on the national sporting calendar to rival the likes of the Boxing Day and New Year's Tests.

The Australian Women's Cricket Team will launch the international home summer at North Sydney Oval on Saturday night with a blockbuster T20I against New Zealand; a game that will be broadcast in primetime on Channel Seven and Fox Sports following the conclusion of the AFL Grand Final.

The picturesque ground hosted last summer's historic women's day-night Ashes Test – a game that saw Perry etch her name in the record books with an epic double century – and it's already a fortress for the No.1 ranked Australians, who haven't lost a match at the venue since 2009.

Now, Perry wants to see Australia play an annual match in North Sydney on the same date each year; the start of a new tradition she believes could become highly anticipated in the international cricket calendar.

"Very similar to the landmark dates in the Australian men's summer calendar, with Boxing Day and the SCG Test and other Test matches, it'd be an amazing opportunity for the Australian women's team to have a landmark date as well," Perry told cricket.com.au.

"We could hold an annual match on the same date or thereabouts at North Sydney and make it a great annual event that families can come down to and enjoy a great day out. 

"Whether it's a Test, a one-day match or a T20, I don't know, but it would be a great way to annually put the team in a place that people could really look forward to.

"In England, their various national teams really own a ground. It's Wembley for soccer, Twickenham Stadium for rugby.

"It would be great if in Australia, North Sydney became synonymous with the Australian Women's Cricket Team."

It's hoped Saturday's game will draw a bumper crowd, with a host of the world's best players to continue their fierce trans-Tasman rivalry on the field, alongside off-field attractions including a Lego play zone for children and a food festival for adults.

"It's a really special ground for all of us to come back to," Perry said.

"It's a great place to watch cricket. It's beautiful, it's historic and I think we really want to own this ground."

And with the spotlight to land firmly on Perry and her teammates come Saturday night, the allrounder knows the Australian squad will need to deliver if they're to make the most of the opportunity.

"We've been talking about this game for a long time now and the fact it's almost here is exciting," Perry said. 

"There's a great feeling among the group and to be able to start the international summer for Australian cricket is a huge honour and we want to do really well.

"This is one of the best opportunities we've had as a team to showcase what we can do to the Australian public and hopefully excite our fans and bring new fans into the sport."

CommBank T20 INTLs v NZ 

Australia T20 squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

September 29: First T20I, North Sydney Oval, Sydney

October 1: Second T20I, Allan Border Field, Brisbane

October 5: Third T20I, Manuka Oval, Canberra