After her superb double-century in the Women’s Ashes Test, Ellyse Perry says she would like to see the longer format incorporated into series between other countries.
The recent Women’s Ashes series was full of excitement and drama, with the 8-8 score reflecting a closely fought contest. It appeared ominous for England after defeats in the first two ODIs but Heather Knight’s side fought back strongly in the third, their dogged resilience saved the Test match and Danni Wyatt’s explosive finale in the final T20I secured a drawn series, with Australia retaining the Ashes.
The Test match grabbed the headlines due to one name in particular: Ellyse Perry. The Australian all-rounder became only the seventh woman to score an international double-century, compiling a remarkable 213 not out. Perhaps even more remarkable was the fact that, before this innings, Perry had never scored an international century, despite stacking up 28 fifties across all formats.
A few days after the conclusion of the Test match, Australia confirmed their retention of the Ashes with a convincing win in the first T20I at the same venue, with Beth Mooney smashing an unbeaten 86. “Winning the first game and securing the Ashes was great and we felt the pressure a lot less in the next two games and we could just focus on entertaining,” says Perry.
There was certainly plenty of entertainment on offer in the final two matches, with Mooney and Wyatt trading centuries in the final fixture to cap a memorable series and a watershed year for women’s cricket.
