England's most-decorated captain Charlotte Edwards already rates Ellyse Perry as the best women's cricketer of all time, but expects her to set the bar even higher in the coming years.
Edwards, generally regarded as her country's best-ever player, first played against a 17-year-old Perry in 2008 when she was very much a bowler who batted.
Champ Ellyse: Australian allrounder Ellyse Perry on her way to scoring 47 in the third T20 against England.Credit:PA
Fast-forward 11 years and the trajectory of Perry's career is doing anything but dipping.
In the most unsurprising of decisions, Perry was voted the player of the women's Ashes series after finishing as the leading scorer with 378 runs at a Bradmanesque average of 94.50, and at the top of the leading wicket-taker of the series with 15 wickets at under 13.
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"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 all-rounder 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."
Rather than her natural "God-given athletic ability" which England coach Mark Robinson said was a difference between her and England players, Edwards points to her ultra-competitiveness.
"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 aRead More – Source
England's most-decorated captain Charlotte Edwards already rates Ellyse Perry as the best women's cricketer of all time, but expects her to set the bar even higher in the coming years.
Edwards, generally regarded as her country's best-ever player, first played against a 17-year-old Perry in 2008 when she was very much a bowler who batted.
Champ Ellyse: Australian allrounder Ellyse Perry on her way to scoring 47 in the third T20 against England.Credit:PA
Fast-forward 11 years and the trajectory of Perry's career is doing anything but dipping.
In the most unsurprising of decisions, Perry was voted the player of the women's Ashes series after finishing as the leading scorer with 378 runs at a Bradmanesque average of 94.50, and at the top of the leading wicket-taker of the series with 15 wickets at under 13.
Advertisement
"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 all-rounder 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."
Rather than her natural "God-given athletic ability" which England coach Mark Robinson said was a difference between her and England players, Edwards points to her ultra-competitiveness.
"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 aRead More – Source
