Perry overwhelmed seeing growth of women's cricket

Bengaluru: You can't keep Ellyse Perry quiet for too long. The Australian all-rounder had had a decent Women's Premier League coming into Tuesday's crucial final league match for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Mumbai Indians, but nothing "Perryesque." Only one of her 40-plus knock had come in a winning cause while she had gone wicketless in the four matches she had bowled.

RCB needed their most experienced player deliver on the day if they had to qualify for the play-offs. And she did in a telling manner.

In one of the most inspired spells of fast bowling seen by a woman pacer ever, Perry claimed 6/15 in her four overs leaving RCB with a small target to chase. They were either bowled or LBWs, reflecting her accuracy and craft which saw her bring the ball back into batters from good length. She wasn't done for the day though. With RCB losing three early wickets, the 33-year-old steadied the ship in the company of an enterprising Richa Ghosh before sealing the play-off berth with a six.

Coming as it did after a heartbreaking one-run loss to Delhi Capitals, the win was that much more satisfying for RCB. Perry credited it to a sense of calm in the team for the change in their fortunes while not making a big deal of her great day at work. 

"Especially as I have gotten older, I don't really want to overreact on whether it's a good night or a bad night. The sun comes up the next day," she said when asked about her personal celebrations. 

Speaking about the second season and the camaraderie in the RCB set-up, Perry redirected the spotlight on others by showering praise on captain Smriti Mandhana and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh. 

“She (Smriti) has led the group exceptionally well. Her personality is quite introverted. But she is so big on developing relationships with each player.

“How good is she (Richa)! She is absolutely amazing. She has always got a permanent smile on her face. She has been phenomenal behind the stumps in so many key moments for us. And then with the bat on a whole new level of the game. Scary to think that she is so young. Yeah, it's going to be tough coming up against her in international cricket when she is playing for India.”

Perry felt she was blessed to be part of women's cricket at a time when it has expanded beyond her imagination. With over 15 years of experience during which she has amassed 6663 runs, 327 wickets in 308 international matches across all formats, she should know a thing or two about the evolution of women's game. From playing in front of empty stands to seeing 20,000 people screaming her name in a stadium, it has been an eventful journey for the popular cricketer.  

“I have never looked that way to be honest," she said when asked about her enviable achievements. "Without a doubt what I have enjoyed the most is the success that we have had as a team in various competitions. At an international level, being involved in World Cup wins and Ashes series.

“And also without a doubt to be a part of women’s cricket in an era where it has exploded and to think that I'm sitting here on a chair at the WPL in its second year, playing in front of crowds in numbers well over 20-30,000 people... It's just mind-boggling. I guess, you know, all these individual achievements and performances are all so fleeting and honestly unsatisfying in comparison to the team experiencing success,” remarked Perry.