Photo Credit: England and Wales Cricket Board
Australian sporting icon Ellyse Perry has become the latest global superstar to sign up for cricket’s new 100-ball competition The Hundred.
The ICC Women’s Player of the Decade will play for Birmingham Phoenix in the first season of the new competition where she will line up alongside compatriot Ashleigh Gardner, New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and England’s own Amy Jones and Georgia Elwiss.
Ellyse Perry said: “I can’t wait to come over to the UK and get involved in The Hundred this summer. It’s fantastic to see how it’s put women’s cricket in the spotlight and attracted so many of the world’s top players to come and play in it.
“With 100 balls per side it’s going to be really exciting to play in, and I’m looking forward to helping introduce a new generation to cricket and hopefully inspiring them to pick up a bat and ball themselves.”
A true sporting superstar, Perry became the youngest cricketer to represent Australia in 2007. Two weeks later she made her debut for the Matildas, the Australian women’s football team, in an Olympic qualifier against Hong Kong, scoring in the second minute. She is the first Australian to have appeared in both ICC and FIFA World Cups and one of a very small number of global sportspeople to have played in both.
She focused solely on cricket in 2014 and has since been described as the most marketable sportsperson in Australia. She is one of the star players of the Australia team who won the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2013 and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2020. She was recently recognised by the ICC as the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Decade.
The Hundred features world-class domestic and international players in men’s and women’s competitions, with family-friendly entertainment off the pitch. It will take place this summer and feature eight city-based teams based in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Southampton and two in London. It will be screened live by the BBC and Sky.
The Hundred will start with a women’s match with Oval Invincibles taking on Manchester Originals live on Sky and BBC on July 21, a day before the same men’s teams meet.
Beth Barrett-Wild, Head of The Hundred Women’s Competition, said: “Ellyse’s participation in The Hundred shows that the competition continues to attract the best players from around the world.
“By showcasing the most talented female cricketers on the planet, on a big stage, alongside the men, we have an opportunity to continue to normalise cricket as a sport for women and girls, as much as it is for men and boys. I truly believe that The Hundred will be a gamechanger for women’s sport.”
Photo credit: LinkedIn profile photo of Beth Barrett-Wild
Ben Sawyer, Birmingham Phoenix women’s team Head Coach said: “Ellyse is a world-class cricketer who would improve any team and we are thrilled that she will be turning out for us at Birmingham Phoenix this summer. I’ve been lucky to work with her over a number of years and I know her quality and work-ethic will be a huge asset to us and the whole competition.”
For the latest news and priority access to tickets visit thehundred.com.
Name of Author: ECB
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the national governing body for cricket in England and Wales, formed on January 1, 1997. It combines roles from the Test and County Cricket Board, National Cricket Association, and Cricket Council, and integrated the Women’s Cricket Association in 1998. Based at Lord’s Cricket Ground, the ECB oversees all levels of cricket, including national teams for men, women, and various disability categories.
