Ellyse Perry on the benefits of The Hundred for women's cricket and Women's Ashes reflections

In the world of women's cricket, Ellyse Perry has seen it all.

From an Australia debut in 2007 at the age of just 16, to juggling international football alongside cricket, to the unforgettable 3-19 with a fractured ankle to win the World Cup in 2013 - one of her eight World Cup wins - plus a Commonwealth Games triumph in 2022.

Throughout it all, the game has transformed beyond recognition, with Perry as the star at its centre.

The 34-year-old all-rounder has 337 caps for Australia across formats, having been one of the country's first players to be awarded a central contract in 2008, and is now one of the top names on any wishlist for the world's various franchise leagues.

Having represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru in India's Women's Premier League and Sydney Sixers in her native Women's Big Bash (WBBL), Perry is now beginning her third season with Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, having spent the early summer playing for Hampshire in the Women's Vitality Blast and the One-Day Cup.

Though Perry's focus is on leading Phoenix, who finished seventh in the table in 2024, she and the other Australians in the tournament - including Alana King, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield - will have one eye on the upcoming challenge of defending their 50-over World Cup title in India this autumn.

The Australia side has a strong case to be regarded as one of the greatest teams in sporting history but their most recent triumph, a 16-0 thrashing of England in the Ashes, saw a spotlight on women's cricket in the UK like never before.

"It's really easy to get caught up in the scoreline of that series without really seeing the bigger picture," said Perry.

"There are some amazing players in that English team, world-class players who can win a game from anywhere.

"It was a moment in time. It was great for us and for our fans, playing at home during our summer, but I sort of feel like it was probably a bit of an anomaly.

"The next time we meet, it'll be different circumstances – maybe in a World Cup. It's a moment that has passed and not something that we all want to get stuck on or gloat about because cricket is so fickle, things can change so quickly."

England received widespread criticism for the defeats and their attitude, with fans becoming increasingly frustrated by repeated claims of them being "so close" to beating Australia and with accusations of cosiness and complacency within the team.

Though Perry admits she did not pay much attention to what was said in the media during the series, she welcomes the increased scrutiny as a good thing for the game.

"It shows that people care, and people expect a certain level of performance from their elite female teams and they are passionate about it.

"That's a far cry from where the women's game was five to 10 years ago. So while criticism and being held to account isn't always a pleasant thing, equally it's a very positive thing for the direction of the game and that it's being taken really seriously.

"People expect more [now we are paid more] and all we've wanted is to be taken seriously and to be respected, for the way that we play the game and the level that we can take the game to, so with that comes pressure to perform.

"There will be moments where that's hard to handle and it's a challenge, but it's also exactly what the game needs."

Click here to read article