Former England Women skipper Charlotte Edwards feels Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry is the best female cricketer of all time and expects the 28-year-old to get only better in the coming years.
Perry was voted as the player of the women’s Ashes series after she amassed 378 runs at a Bradman-esque average of 94.50 in seven encounters across all three formats. She also ended up as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 15 scalps.
Edwards first came face to face against Perry in 2008 when she was just 17 years old. Back then, Perry was a bowler who could bat as well. Fast forward 11 years, she averages over 50 in ODIs while her average in Test cricket is 78. “I loved playing against her and she’s definitely improved a lot since I stopped playing,” Edwards said.
“You knew then she’d become an unbelievable batter, she was mainly a bowler in my career and now we see what an unbelievable allrounder she is and the greatest female player we’re ever going to see.
“In one skill alone, in terms of bowling or batting she’d be a great. “And she’s getting better and better with age, she’s only 28, it’s quite scary really to think what she can achieve in the next few years.” Edwards said it’s Perry’s competitiveness that puts her head and shoulders above the rest.
“One thing all the great players share is that competitiveness, the desire to want to be better,” Edwards said.
“That just strikes me every single time I watch her warm up and she treats the last game of the series like the first game of the series.
“She wants to win and it’s something sometimes you can’t coach that. That’s something very special about her.
“She’s so competitive and hates getting out and that’s a good thing. She values her wicket but equally she knows her game very well.”
Her journey to cricketing stardom began earlier than most – she was the youngest-ever Australian to play international cricket when she made her debut against New Zealand aged 16. Since then, she has gone on to represent Australia more than 200 times in white-ball cricket – she’s played 106 ODIs and 105 T20Is.
