Last Updated on 3 hours ago by Charbel Coorey
Former all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar believes Ellyse Perry is not only one of Australia’s finest ever cricketers, but will go down as one of the country’s greatest athletes across all sports.
Perry is fresh off a remarkable seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title, where she produced her best tournament with the bat. The superstar struck 198 runs at an average of 49.50 and strike rate of 132.88, including two fifties of the highest quality against Pakistan and India respectively.
Ellyse Perry will go down as one of our greatest athletes – Lisa Sthalekar
Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Podcast, Sthalekar said Perry’s football exploits, as well as her ability to continue reinventing herself, puts her among the best. Perry continues to deliver across formats and is showing no signs of slowing down.
“When you think of sporting culture of Australia, we hold our athletes in high esteem. You know, I’m thinking of Dawn Fraser and Don Bradman. You know, we’ve got a wonderful list from so many different sports, but she will go up there absolutely in the top echelons of Australian sporting legends,” Sthalekar said.
“Simply because very skillful, played for Australia at a young age in football as well. But for me, in terms of just purely cricket, has come through pretty much from an amateur over so many decades and still turns it on, right? Still keeps reinventing herself, which is crazy to say.
“So yeah, the fact that she’s valuable in all three formats, great leader, understands the game, the complexities of it. So yeah, whenever she does finish, she’ll go down as one of our greatest.”
Perry has been involved in all seven of Australia’s T20 World Cup triumphs. In the process, she became the first cricketer in history to win nine ICC tournaments as she also has two ODI World Cups to her name.
Next up for Australia’s great team is a three-match ODI series at home to Bangladesh starting October 9 in Brisbane. Sophie Molineux’s team will then take on New Zealand in three T20Is starting October 18 in North Sydney.
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