HomeWomen's CricketEllyse Perry: Entertainer? Achiever? An ambassador of the sport!

Ellyse Perry: Entertainer? Achiever? An ambassador of the sport!

- Advertisement -

Perhaps great achievements in the sport are called so because they birth special dates that carry a timeless appeal for fans and cricketers alike.
1983 will almost always remind the Indian cricket fan of his team’s maiden World Cup win. 2004 will always remind one of Brian Lara’s epic 400 while May 23, 2018, will always remind the cricket fan about a period of time marked by remorse, for it was then where AB De Villiers called time on his career.

Remember the name- Ellyse Perry

But to make things even, in the sense of bringing attention to an often under-appreciated fabric of the sport- women’s cricket- perhaps few dates would matter as much as November 11, 2017.
Wondered why?
It was on November 11, 2017, at Sydney that Australia’s Ellyse Perry became the first women cricketer to strike a double hundred in a Day-Night Test, in a Test featuring the pink ball. In so doing, Perry also contributed the highest individual Test score by an Australian woman.
In a sport obsessed with records or awards, there’s no dearth of either in Ellyse Perry’s bag. An ICC Cricketer of the Year, as also the winner of the prestigious Allan Border medal, Ellyse Perry has been a member of a world-cup winning side and has generated numbers that demand awe and stand as a subject of envy for fans.
As a tireless all-rounder for Australia, Perry’s unwavering commitment to hard work and that quintessential smile mark her 3904 international runs and 252 wickets with a sense of modesty and innocence. These are honest traits that protect a record that is, for the lack of a better expression, tremendous.

- Advertisement -

A savory career

Elysse Perry is a fantastic player for australia (Image: The New Daily)

Perry’s a record that demands being bejeweled with cosmological decorations but readily eschews any chances for its earned for a country that doesn’t quite believe in the idea of flaunting achievements.
Have you found Gilchrist reflecting on his Test, ODI hundreds? Does McGrath remember the number of his five-wicket-hauls? In the same light, you cannot be blamed for wondering whether Meg Lanning, Perry’s good friend and the captain even remember her ODI batting average?
Forget the cricketers, the Aussie fan, one who likes to have a go at his rivals, seldom shying away from offering choicest words if a need arises but also one that has the heart to buy a ‘mate’ a beer at the conclusion of an encounter hardly tongues the Don’s batting average when a simple representation of it may put an effective end to a discussion about superiority in the game.

An all round star

a tireless performer in the women’s game (Image: Screengrab)

Whatever Perry does- going airborne in pursuit of a blinder at point or at the outfield, dancing down the track to a spinner, lifting a medium pacer over mid-on for a six or taking the smile off Australia’s opponents- is done with the precision of a mathematician and the eagerness of a ballerina, who doesn’t quite know where to stop in the search for perfection.
It isn’t that one may not find Ellyse Perry’s opponents with better bowling figures or aggregates of runs. Sana Mir has more ODI wickets while the likes of Stafanie Taylor, Suzie Bates, Mithali are far ahead of her where it comes to collecting runs.
But that hardly anyone comes close to the quintessential Ellyse Perry zest for enjoying the game whilst entertaining those who come to watch a cricketer who’s every bit as talented as she’s freakishly good in the ‘looks’ department.
And maybe the latter is an aspect that could possibly threaten the existence of the cricketer behind the luscious smile and the maverick genius.
Cricket isn’t a theatre of physicality. That some fans rather absurdly limit it to being a beauty pageant on the cricket field is every bit deplorable as it is needless in appreciation of women cricketers.

Not just good-looking, there’s more!

Not just good looking, there is more (Image: ABC)

Was Kallis respected because he was an intoxicating reminder of herculean powers? Were Shane Watson, David Gower or Imran Khan respected because their personalities resembled an amorous Hollywood-character?
While there’s nothing outrageous about Google-directed searches, such as, “Ellyse Perry best pictures”, it also in some way highlights a rabid trend, one to which Smriti Mandhana belongs, where you regard a Women cricketer- perhaps a flawed biased term in its conception- as being a beholder of great beauty while her accomplishments follow the physical charm.
Isn’t that strange, a bit like the uncanny ease with which Perry pulls of episodes of intense rigor on the ground, for instance, her 213 against England was a Test where she’d come into bat, remain unbeaten, immediately after striking her 213?
That there’s so much to be proud of women’s cricket, batswomen scoring n the upper echelons of 80, a feat so seldom marked with ink- from Jan ’14 to Dec ’16, Perry amassed 1343 runs at 89.5- begs for more attention that it is given.
That a gang of crazily passionate girls Perry, Schutt, Lanning, Molineux, Ferling- driven in their love for the sport- others are carrying forward the bastion of excellence that is Australian Cricket is inspiring- stands out as a defeat for us fans who, for some reason, will never own up to our mansplaining of Women’s Cricket, complaining cheaply that men’s game has better bowlers, bigger six-hitters and whatnot.
But let it be reminded, to every De Villiers, there’s an Ellyse Perry, the freak-hitter. To every Jason Holder, there’s Perry the bowler.
While the fab-four are yet to strike a pink-ball double while Perry already has carries some weight just as the fact that none among Hope, Martin Guptill, Roy, Hales, Morgan, Fakhar, Babar, Kohli, Kuldeep, have taken to the ball while Perry has disturbed many a timber with it already.

- Advertisement -
Dev Tyagi
Dev Tyagi
Dravid believer, admirer of - the square drive, Drew Barrymore, Germany, Finland, Electric Mobility, simplicity and the power of the written word! Absolutely admire contributing to KyroSports

15 Highly Educated Cricketers Of All Time

Cricket is a game of passion and dedication. A sport in which one involves themselves in camps and practice since early childhood. Due to...

Why are more and more MotoGP riders using the Noson nasal dilator?

Introduction MotoGP riders or athletes are physically fit and healthy individuals and their muscles are continuously functioning and used during the performance. As a fan...

Do we often under-appreciate Andy Flower? What’s his legacy?

There's a hint of sadness in noting that Zimbabwe has never been a dominant power in world cricket. But nothing could be sadder than...

How Come UFC Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears But Boxers Don’t?

The UFC has come a long way since its early days, wherein the fights seemed like modern-day gladiators due to its brutality and inconsistent...

5 spinners who can be India’s potential finger-spinners

The Indian cricket team has always been proud of its ability to produce world-class batsmen and similarly potent spinners. Though in recent times, the...

IPL 2018: The beautiful Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Being seated in the Sawai Mansingh stadium brings a different world, a world of difference away from the palpable excitement of watching truly India’s...

Top 5 Left Wingers In The World, Based On 2019-20 Season

Owing to the fact that football has evolved a lot since its inception and the tactics have changed a lot, the role of wingers...

The astonishing decline of Mario Balotelli

There was a time when Mario Balotelli was on top of the world.  The Italian talisman had scored two goals in the Euro 2012 semi-finals,...

What can be expected from the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Heat in the air and heat inside the car- that's been the story of the Azerbaijan Grand prix. As F1 parks itself at Baku...

How Suresh Raina Batted India Into The Finals of 2011 World Cup

Its been 9 years, since India won the Cricket World Cup defeating Sri Lanka on 2 April, 2011. The images and visuals of...

Age Fraud in Indian Cricket: Are players really to be blamed?

There have been times while watching a cricket match when we tend to hear commentators comment on cricketers’ age. We as fans have many...

IPL 2018: The best from the West Indies

When one of nature's treacherous attacks on mankind- earthquakes- strike, their impact is measured on Richter's scale. When West Indians strike in a tournament...

Ajax XI if they didn’t sell their star players

Based in Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, who incidentally draw their name from the legendary Greek hero of the same name, are the most successful club...

Big change for India Women’s cricket as BCCI looks to finalise bowling coach soon

We are not even at the halfway stage of the 2018 cricketing season. It clearly seems there's no stopping India's women's cricket team. The...

5 famous players to play for both Leeds United and Liverpool

Leeds United are back in the Premier League after 16 years and will play Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday in their very first match...

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -