Ellyse Perry makes history, becomes only Australian cricketer to achieve this feat

Adelaide, Saturday — Ellyse Perry etched her name deeper into sporting folklore when she took the field for Australia in the third T20I against India, becoming the first female cricketer to represent the nation in 350 international matches across formats.

The 33-year-old’s journey to the unprecedented milestone began 17 years ago, when she debuted against New Zealand in July 2007 at the age of 16 — without having played a single senior domestic fixture. Since that precocious entrance, Perry has evolved from a raw fast bowler batting at No. 9 to one of the most complete all-rounders the women’s game has seen, regularly anchoring the innings at No. 3 or No. 4 while continuing to spearhead the attack.

Perry’s longevity places her third on the all-time list of most-capped female players, trailing only India’s Harmanpreet Kaur (357) and New Zealand’s Suzie Bates (355). Yet her impact extends far beyond mere numbers. She burst onto the global stage with an unbeaten 29 and four wickets on T20I debut against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and finished as Australia’s leading wicket-taker at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2010.

Across 14 Tests, Perry has amassed 930 runs at an average of 58, including a commanding double century, while claiming 39 wickets. In 165 WODIs she has scored 4,505 runs at 48 and taken 166 wickets, and in 171 WT20Is she has contributed 2,200 runs and 126 wickets.

Silverware has followed her at every turn: eight world titles with Australia, 11 WNCL crowns with New South Wales, two WBBL trophies with Sydney Sixers and, most recently, a WPL championship with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Remarkably, Perry’s excellence is not confined to cricket. She remains the only woman to have represented Australia in World Cups in two different sports, having played football for the Matildas at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011.

As she walked out onto Adelaide Oval for her 350th appearance, teammates and opponents alike acknowledged the magnitude of the moment: a career that began as a teenager without domestic experience has become the benchmark for endurance, adaptability and excellence in Australian sport.