Australian women’s team all-rounder Ellyse Perry, who enjoyed the stellar run both with the bat and the ball, has been awarded as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women Cricket of the Year when he laid her hands on the maiden Rachael Heyhoe-Flint memento.
The award was named in the honour of the England women cricketer Rachael, who passed away early this year.
The late cricketer-turned commentator Rachael played 22 Test and 23 ODIs for England between 1960 and 1982.
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Delighted Perry reminisced about her journey and passion for the game while adding Rachael has been an inspiration for the aspiring professionals.
“I’d like to acknowledge the incredible work and legacy Rachael has left behind for the game, she is certainly missed,” Perry revealed in her statement.
It’s interesting to point out that the Cricketer of the year award was first amended in 2012 when the two distinct awards were distributed among the performers for the 50-over and T20Is cricket separately.
On the other side, the 23-year-old wicket-keeper batsman Beth Mooney has won the Twenty20 International Player of the Year followed by the Emerging Player of the Year for her splendid show with bat and behind the stumps.
“This is very unexpected and I’m honoured to receive the ICC T20I and Emerging Player of the Year awards,” Mooney was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.
Thrilled Southern Stars opening batsman Mooney has been in wondrous form with the bat which saw her strengthen the Australian women’s team core while scoring heavily at the top.
However, the 27-year-old Perry has been phenomenal with the bat in the longest version of the game which already saw him averaging over 50 in the One-day Internationals.
The right-handed batter Perry has expressed satisfaction for the incredible achievement while reiteration it has been the brilliant year for the cricket in general and she is humbled to reap the reward.
“This year has been a very special year for women’s cricket with many milestones reached, so it is a privilege and honour to receive the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award,” Perry maintained in the release.
Perry surpassed Kiwis’ Amy Satterthwaite and impressive Harmanpreet Kaur from India Eves in the list.
Earlier in 2010, Shelley Nitschke won the award as an Australian women cricketer who also saw Karen Rolton bagging the coveted award in 2006.
Owing to the astronomical rise, Perry has been incredible with the ball to play an imperative role for Australia since making her debut in July 2007 against New Zealand (White Ferns) at Darwin.
Known for exploits with the willow, Perry has been delivering according to the expectations of the team management which further saw her playing a massive role in the rise of the mixed bunch of the Southern Stars.
Perry has also been thankful to the Board of Cricket Australia (CA) for its unconditional support to lift the spirit of the women’s cricket, and she is looking forward to making her country proud while working hard.
“A special thanks to Cricket Australia for the incredible amount of support. Also, my teammates and our support staff, thanks so much for making it so enjoyable and memorable to tour and represent Australia,” Perry concluded.
It’s pertinent to mention that in the recently concluded Ashes series, in November (last month), Perry smashed maiden double hundred (213*) in the pink-ball affair at North Oval in Sydney while taking on the England women’s team bowlers.
Relying on her strength, Perry has been giving consistent performances since September 2016 which subsequently saw her amassing 905 runs in 19 fixtures.
The right-arm medium pacer has also collected 22 wickets to prove her credentials further by being a safe fielding option.
The chief executive for CA James Sutherland has praised the magnanimous efforts of Perry.
“This is an outstanding recognition for Ellyse. In her 10th season representing Australia, it comes as no surprise,” Sutherland remarked.
In November 2017, with Australia Women’s team retaining the Commonwealth Bank Ashes, Perry’s contribution has been incredible throughout the voting period which further saw series win over Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand and South Africa.
Across formats, Perry claimed 236 wickets which further saw her featured in 94 ODIs, 85 T20Is and seven Tests.