Meg Lanning plays down fears over Ellyse Perry injury but admits star is managing fitness
It would take much more than a shoulder ‘niggle’ to keep all-rounder Ellyse Perry out of any game in the Women’s T20 World Cup, according to Aussie skipper Meg Lanning.
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There is no chance of Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry being rested against Bangladesh on Thursday as the Aussies seek to keep their World Cup alive.
Speculation has swirled around regarding the fitness of Perry after she was dropped down the batting line up to No. 7 for their five-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Monday.
It was compounded further when she arrived at Perth airport the following day with strapping on her right shoulder.
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Perry sustained a low-grade AC joint injury in November last year when attempting a boundary catch for the Sydney Sixers in the WBBL.
She took no further part in the WBBL after the Sixers failed to make finals, but returned for the Tri-Series against India and England in early February.
Aussie captain Meg Lanning said Perry was a professional athlete who knew how to manage niggles well.
“Obviously it’s something she’s been managing since WBBL,” Lanning said.
“But she’s trained every time we’ve been out there training and she’s played every game, so it’s nothing that’s going to keep her out of any games or anything like that, she’ll train fully (on Wednesday).
“I’m sure there are a few players out in this competition who are managing injuries and she’s a professional and deals with it really well, so we’re not expecting anything major out of that.”
When asked whether there was a chance Perry would be rested, Lanning simply replied: “No, nup.”
Lanning also addressed the changing batting order, which has left some Aussie fans scratching their heads, especially when Nicola Carey was sent in above Perry in Monday’s match against Sri Lanka.
“Our top six batters could all open the batting, so it really comes down to the match-ups on the day and game situations and what we think’s going to work best,” she said.
“So we’ve gone with left-hand/right-hand combinations a little bit and that’s what we did the other night with Nic Carey coming in when Rach Haynes got out.
“Ellyse is a world-class player … we’ve just got to be really flexible and whatever the team needs, we’re going to do.”
After recording their first win of the tournament, Lanning said it was good kickstart for the rest of their T20 World Cup campaign.
“Obviously we have a new challenge coming up against Bangladesh and we want to keep improving the way that we’re playing, so it’s nice to get a win on the board,” she said.
Lanning said the fact that her side was able to grind out a tough win after slumping to 3-10 in their run chase at the WACA, was a positive.
“You’ve got to be able to fight your way through difficult periods. Hopefully we’ve started to do that and the next couple of games we’ll improve on what we need to.”
HAYNES’ LEVEL HEAD KEEPS AUSSIES TICKING
Rachael Haynes could well be the most philosophical of all Australia’s cricketers.
A lover of modern art, you’re more likely find her inside a cinema or an art gallery than outside at the beach on her days off.
At 33, she’s also the oldest of the 15-player Australian squad, but she’s unsure whether that makes her the wisest.
“I don’t know, I’ve probably always been a bit of an old soul to be honest,” the middle-order batter says.
“I think people would say I’ve always been a more mature member of the squad, but the great thing is, the young girls keep you young.
“They are good fun, but sometimes you’ll have conversations and remember how young they are … life’s at different stages, like, Tik Tok: what is that?”
Alongside her international experience (having debuted in 2009), her fighting spirit is also a valuable asset to the team.
Haynes was dropped from the Aussie squad in 2014 because she wasn’t making runs, but “stayed ready” away from the team and was recalled almost four years later.
She hasn’t left since.
On Monday, all her experience and guts and considered determination was called upon when she strode out to the middle of the WACA with Australia slumped at 3-10 against Sri Lanka.
Haynes’ courageous 60 (47 balls) was the game-changer and her 95-run partnership with Lanning saved Australia from World Cup disaster. Had they lost then they would have been virtually eliminated from making the semi-final on March 5.
Haynes describes herself as a cricketer who will “put the blinkers on” especially in tournaments like a World Cup and therefore relies on her more lighthearted teammates.
“I’ll make sure I sit next to someone in the changeroom whose a bit of fun and likes to have a laugh,” she says.
“One of my strengths is that I am able to focus on the task at hand and what I’ve got in front of me.
“But generally as a leader in a team, you’ve got to have really good awareness about what’s happening around you and the dynamics and where people are at and particularly in a big tournament, there will be some people who will be disappointed, who are missing out due to selection, there are going to be some tough moments for players out there on the field if they’re not able to do what they’d like to do.
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“So (the vice-captaincy) is about first and foremost being a good teammate and making sure you’ve got good relationships with the different players on the team so you can have some good conversations that aren’t necessarily cricket-related, that you can keep nice and relaxed.”
After her side’s five-wicket win over Sri Lanka, Haynes was asked whether the pressure on the Australians to perform in this World Cup was taking its toll.
Instead of calling on a cliches from a sporting handbook, she gave a long pause and really considered her answer before saying: “I hope today showed a little bit of our character …”
It was her philosophical best coming to the fore.