The top 10 moments in Ellyse Perry’s career ahead of her 300th game

Over the past 15 years, when in a pickle with bat or ball, captains have turned to Ellyse Perry to get them out of a hole. Here are 10 of her best performances over her first 299 games for Australia.

Ellyse Perry will reach a significant milestone on Sunday night when she walks out for the second T20 against India in Mumbai.

It will be the superstar all-rounder’s 300th international for Australia since she debuted as a 17-year-old in 2007 in Darwin, making her the first Australian women’s cricketer to reach the record-breaking total.

With more than 6,500 runs and 320 wickets to her name, she will likely go down as one of, if not, the greatest all-rounder in the history of the women’s game. Add in her eight World Cup victories, and there’s no doubt she will be remembered as the figurehead for a golden generation of cricket in this country.

Across her nearly 17 years playing in the green and gold, here are her top 10 moments from her international career.

Top 10 moments from Ellyse Perry’s international career

1. July 22, 2007 – Ellyse Perry became the youngest Australian to play international cricket at age 16 in the second ODI of the Rose Bowl against New Zealand in Darwin. She finished the game with 2-37 and 19 (20) as the Kiwis won by 35 runs. “My first game in Darwin, there was probably about 30 people,” Perry said. It’s a far cry from the 86,000 people that packed the MCG for the 2020 T20 World Cup final which she admits continues to “blow her socks off”.

2. February 1, 2008 – If there were any questions about Perry’s talent, they were quickly answered in her T20I debut at the MCG against England. She scored 29 runs and finished with figures of 4-20 to lead the Aussies to victory and claim her first Player of the Match award.

3. May 16, 2010 – Perry claims Player of the Match honours in the final as Australia win the 2010 T20 World Cup in the West Indies. Perry finished with figures of 3-18 against New Zealand and ended the tournament as Australia’s best bowler with eight wickets at an average of 10.75. But her nerveless performance bowling the last over to Sophie Devine as a 19-year-old cemented her status as a future star.

4. February 17, 2013 – One of the bravest performances of Perry’s career, the all-rounder put her body on the line to win her first one-day World Cup against the West Indies in 2013. In the final, Perry bowled 10 overs and finished with figures of 3-19 despite suffering from an injured ankle and struggling through her run-up. It was one of many performances where Perry would do whatever it took to help lead the Aussies to victory.

Bowling on basically one leg, Perry inspires the Aussies to victory in the 2013 World Cup. Picture: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool

5. January 13, 2014 – Despite Australia losing the one-off Test match against England, Perry put her name into the history books with an impressive all-round performance in Perth. Perry was named player of the match after scores of 71 & 31, as well as match figures of 8-79 including a five-wicket haul. In doing so, she became only the second Australian women’s player this century to score a 50 and have a five-wicket haul in the same Test.

6. November 11, 2017 – Perry puts her name into the history books once again with a double century against England in the Ashes Test at North Sydney Oval. She had two chances to celebrate after a boundary left her just short of 200, but it’s a famous innings that has become synonymous with Perry’s exploits.

7. July 7, 2019 – The third ODI of the 2019 Ashes series belonged to Perry as she tore through England’s batting line-up. After Australia posted a strong total of 7-269, Perry took the first three wickets to leave the hosts 3-5 inside three overs. She finished with career-best figures of 7-22 with England all out for 75.

Perry’s double century during the 2017 Ashes Test will go down as one of the greatest innings in the history of women’s cricket. Picture: AAP Image/Daniel Munoz

8. July 21, 2019 – The 2019 Ashes Test in Taunton petered out to a draw, but the Aussies had Perry to thank for dominating the England bowling line-up. She scored her second Test century, 116, before finishing on 76* in the second innings to help her side retain the urn.

9. April 3, 2022 – After missing the historic T20 World Cup triumph at the MCG due to a hamstring injury, Perry had a point to prove during the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand. The Aussies missed out five years earlier in England, but they wouldn’t make the same mistake. Perry proved pivotal, averaging 54 with the bat and taking five wickets across the tournament.

10. December 14, 2022 – There were concerns that the T20 game had evolved beyond Ellyse Perry after she was dropped from the format for the 2021/22 Ashes series and didn’t play in the Commonwealth Games triumph. But Meg Lanning’s first break from the game gave her another opportunity and she took it with both hands. In her first time at the crease during the T20 series in India, she finished with 75 runs off 47 deliveries. That innings sparked a batting resurgence in the format, with her average since that knock at 52.10 with an impressive strike rate of 151.45.

Originally published as The top 10 moments in Ellyse Perry’s career ahead of her 300th game