Elysse Perry book Perspective: Cricketer shares her thoughts on life, cricket and why she struggles being called a role model
She is one of the most recognisable personalties in world sport yet Ellyse Perry is uncomfortable in the spotlight. She reveals what troubles her most in an exclusive excerpt from her new book, Perspective.
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She’s a worldwide star and a dynamo off the field as well as on — but cricket record-breaker Elysse Perry is struggling with being a role model.
Fresh from securing her place in the pages of history at the Ashes, Perry has announced she is releasing her own book, Perspective.
It’s less an autobiography and more a collection of essays about her beliefs and the things that drive her — or not.
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Giving News Corp Australia a sneak preview of the opening chapter, Perry revealed she has “long grappled with the whole notion of athletes being role models”, and that she does not feel qualified to offer life advice.
“It would be incredibly naive and arrogant of me to think that I have the answers. I definitely do not, and I’ve still got a lot to learn,” she explains.
The book, to be published by HarperCollins Australia in November, is still in final editing stage.
The youngest ever cricketer, male or female, to have represented Australia at international and Test level, Perry is already among the all-time cricket greats.
She is also the only player, female or male, to represent Australia in both cricket and football World Cups, making her international debut in both sports at the age of 16.
Perry’s inspiring book, which will be heavily illustrated, will feature stories and reflections from her childhood and career on the themes of dreaming, belief, work and resilience.
Perspective by Ellyse Perry, will be published by HarperCollins in November.
It is available for pre-order now from Booktopia and Apple Books.
The word ‘perspective’ means a lot to me and it’s been something that I’ve thought more and more about in the last few years.
What are the important things that you know make the experience special? What are the things that motivate you? What are the things that give you joy? The things that challenge you but ultimately make you a better person? Most importantly, who are the people whose unwavering help and support you couldn’t go without?
Perspective is about sitting back from the world you’re involved in and evaluating what it means to you.
My goal in writing this book has been two fold:
1) I’ve tried to provide my perspective on what it is to be an elite athlete, including the things and habits that I’ve adopted to help me along the way; and 2) I’ve tried to provide my perspective on what elite sport actually is, and what the things that truly matter are in the scheme of life.
First up, I want to be really clear in saying that by no means is this intended to be a catalogue of advice-giving or a self-help book. It would be incredibly naive and arrogant of me to think that I have the answers.
I definitely do not, and I’ve still got a lot to learn.
But I do want to share some of the experiences I’ve had over 10 years of playing top-level sport, as well as some of the things that were really impactful in my childhood.
It’s my hope that you find this vaguely interesting, and if you’re able to take something away from it, then I would be ecstatic. At the very least, I hope it gives you some idea of just how much incredible help and support I have had from so many people.
My perspective has also changed a lot along the way, as I am sure everyone’s does across the course of time. For me, the change has come from various experiences, some incredible people influencing the way I think, and just growing up in general.
While there are things that I wish I had learned earlier, I don’t think there is anything I would change. All of it has been an incredible journey, one that I can never truly understand why I’ve been afforded the opportunity to live out.
I’ve had experiences and learned various things along the way that have added to my knowledge or influenced my opinions. But I’m still learning — some days I get things right and feel on top of the world, other days I get things totally wrong and learn a lot as a result.
That’s the point though, I suppose. It’s not about the great days, the achievements, the medals. It’s about the process.
To be honest, right now I’m sitting on a train and pondering how, in so many ways, it doesn’t feel right that I have the opportunity to write a book.
I have long grappled with the whole notion of athletes being role models, and also the bizarre fact that because I am good at hurling a leather ball down twenty-two yards of turf, and at times hitting that same ball off the turf and into the field, why am I entitled to this platform to tell you my story and what I think about various subject matter? Sure, to some extent, I am an expert on cricket by the nature that I play the sport for a living and it’s what I do most days of the week. But beyond that, I’m just trying to figure out the world like everyone else.
It’s about the wealth of experience and the value that sticking at something, trying as hard as you can to be the best you can, that adds to your life.
Sport for me, and specifically cricket these days, is the avenue I’ve found to provide personal meaning and purpose, without it defining me. But I think this is equally applicable to so many other professions or pursuits. When I’m a washed-up has been with a few sore joints, I really hope that I can find the same purpose and excitement in other areas.
It’s an extreme pleasure and privilege to be able to share my story with you. I want to make the most of this incredible opportunity. I want this book to be enjoyable. I want this book to explain what drives me, what motivates me, what inspires me, what makes me want to keep evolving and improving as an athlete and a human being. But I really don’t want it to be preachy.
We’re all different. We all want different things. We all have different interests and passions and hobbies and careers. We all have different personalities — that’s the beauty of it.
If two of us want the same thing, we’re probably going to walk two different roads to get there.
One coach has had a profound effect on me, Tom Sermanni.
He was the Matildas coach for a number of years, universally loved by everyone, staff and players alike. Amazing fellow. A Scotsman. He just had an incredible disposition and way of relating to everyone in the team.
I remember one time when everyone was together at a Matildas camp, and players were coming in and out at different times and there was a bit of disharmony around that. Why doesn’t she have to be here? Stuff like that.
Tommy sat everyone down and said: ‘I want you all to know, I will always treat you fairly. All of you. I will always be honest with you. I will always be upfront with you because that’s how I think a team works best. Not everyone is going to be happy all of the time. But if I’m honest with you, and if you’re honest with me, and if we’re all honest with each other, we can make it work. But I cannot treat you all the same. You’re all different. You have different circumstances, different personalities, different approaches. You all sit differently within this group.’
I always remembered that. It was the most honest and fair assessment I’d ever heard from a coach. Tommy genuinely lived that out, and he had the challenge of bringing it all together for the team.
Point being, what has worked for me may not work for you. And what has worked for you may not work for me. But I like the idea of sharing ideas and then we can pluck out the things that sound right.
We were encouraged to be individuals with unique qualities.
Tommy had this wonderful ability to find the funny or ridiculous side to situations, even when he was being serious. You still understood he was being serious, but he’d give us a one-liner that would lighten the mood just the right amount. It probably suited me because I’ve done a lot of stupid things on the field, accidentally, and I guess I knew he wasn’t going to give me a hard time about it. The delivery of his messages was brilliant.
I vividly remember the time when Tommy played an April Fools’ joke on the entire squad, back in 2011.
We had been in camp for a while at the AIS, in Canberra, a few months out from the start of the FIFA World Cup coming up later in the year in Germany. Tommy pulled the team in as a group on the field just before the start of training.
Normally, we only ever had a chat in the change rooms before we headed out on to the field, and once we were on the field we would crack on with getting warmed up, etc. But at this session Tommy had brought down the director of the AIS, essentially one of his bosses, and asked us to stop warm up and gather around.
What then ensued was a four-or five-minute explanation about how Tommy had decided to take a job in Japan working with one of their J-League teams, effective immediately and leaving us high and dry without a coach for the World Cup in a few months’ time. The director of the AIS then stepped in to explain that they would begin searching to find a suitable replacement for us.
I still remember looking around the circle at all the players as this was unfolding — there were very few dry eyes in the team. People were genuinely devastated, angry and then shocked at the thought of losing Tommy. Someone put their hand up at the end of the formalities and choked through a question of, ‘but, how could you do this to us?’
A wry smile crossed Tommy’s face, and then he muttered quietly in his thick Scottish accent, ‘April fools’. People absolutely lost it. Tommy hardly flinched, took a sip of tea and headed back to his little office to do the crossword, while we tried to regain composure and finish warming up.
When I was younger, I read Susie O’Neill’s book, Choose to Win. She’s a hero of mine — for what she’s achieved as an athlete and, equally, the way she’s done it.
I’ve always kept that book, called on it, drawn from it. I can tell you the chapter names: Pain. Self-doubt. Fair Play. Perseverance. Crossroads. Belief. Focus. Delivering. Gold. Reward. I can relate to all the categories, we all can. It doesn’t matter what we’re striving for, those areas confront us all.
I’ve been given so much advice over the years. Some of it has been invaluable. Some of it not so much.
Half the trick is to understand yourself well enough to know what suits you and what doesn’t.
Hopefully, as you read this, I am able to convey a little about my beliefs and the parts of my journey so far that have shaped a lot of the way I see the world.
I am certainly not attempting to convey the meaning of life, though. I have certainly not been on this earth long enough to even have the slightest clue of what that may be. I have a few strengths, but my weaknesses far outweigh these. There are things that I am completely hopeless at — I can’t sing, I can’t dance and I would love to be able to play a musical instrument well. I’m shy, and public speaking is probably one of my biggest phobias. I also have an incredible ability to spill most things I’m attempting to eat.
But I’ve found certain things I love to do. I don’t know if I love them because I’m good at them, or if I’m good at them because I love them? A bit of both maybe?
If there’s one little snippet in this book that helps you in any way, I’ll be thrilled.
Whether you’re a fan of sport or not, whether you’re a twelve-year-old picking up the book or a 50-year-old, I’m just going to talk about the concepts I’ve found useful. I hope there’s some positivity to be found in here. The more positive influences in the world, the better. We’re all on our own journeys and we all have our own stories to tell.
So, here’s mine.
Perspective by Ellyse Perry, will be published by HarperCollins in November.
It is available for pre-order now from Booktopia and Apple Books.
Originally published as Elysse Perry book Perspective: Cricketer shares her thoughts on life, cricket and why she struggles being called a role model
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