Premier Cricket: Dandenong puts out the welcome mat to Ellyse Perry

As champion cricketer Ellyse Perry prepares to line up with Victoria, Premier clubs are sweating on the signature of “the greatest female player we’re ever going to see”.

Ellyse Perry bowls for Australia during the Women's IT20 match in England in July. Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

Ellyse Perry a Panther?

Nothing has been finalised but Dandenong is in contention to sign the champion Australian all-rounder.

Perry — described by former England captain Charlotte Edwards last week as “the greatest female player we’re ever going to see” — has relocated to Melbourne and will play for Victoria in 2019-20.

She is yet to settle on a Premier club.

But the Panthers have fingers and toes crossed that her friendship with national teammate and Dandenong star Sophie Molineux will lead her to Shepley Oval.

Other clubs are eyeing her signature with similar enthusiasm.

Perry was by some distance the player of the 2019 Ashes series, cracking 116 and 76 not out in the Test match at Taunton, taking 7-22 off 10 overs in the third One-Day international and contributing strongly with bat and ball in the three Twenty20 matches.

The Taunton ton was her first Test innings since her headline-grabbing hand of 213 not out in a day-night Test in Sydney in 2017.

That year she was crowned the ICC women’s cricketer of the year.

Perry is also the only player to achieve 1000 runs and 100 wickets in T20 internationals.

Dandenong star Sophie Molineux at the crease during her Test debut.

“Ellyse is obviously one of the best players in the world. We know she’ll be a significant asset on the field but we’re equally excited by the leadership role she’ll play within the squad to help fast track some of the young talent on our list,’’ Cricket Victoria general manager of cricket Shaun Graf said when the Vics announced Perry would be joining them from NSW, where she figured in a string of NCL titles.

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Victorian Premier Cricket manager Mike Ronchi said clubs were quick to try to make contact with Perry when her move to Victoria was confirmed.

“As soon as it came out I had all the clubs saying, ‘How do we get her, how do we talk to her?’’ he said.

Ronchi said Perry’s busy schedule meant it was unlikely she would play much club cricket, but “whoever gets her will have a great advantage in marketing and attracting girls’’.

“You look at Box Hill. They’re a well developed women’s club and always thereabouts in the finals, and having Meg Lanning there is a fantastic help to them.’’

Perry’s signature would be another lifter for Dandenong, which was puffing with pride when Molineux made her Test debut at Taunton and former champion pace bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick was inducted to the ICC hall of fame alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Allan Donald.

Molineux made a perky start to her Test career, claiming 4-95 off 37 overs and making scores of 21 and 41.

The release of the Victorian women’s squad had also delivered good news to Dandy, with young Lucy Cripps joining Molineux, Nicole Faltum and Courtney Neale on the contract list.