Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry is excited to return to familiar surroundings when Australia face the Netherlands in their third match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Perry spent last summer playing domestic cricket for Hampshire and will now be back at the Hampshire Bowl, a ground she knows very well. Australia have already made a strong start to the tournament with two wins from two matches, and Perry played an important role in their latest victory over Bangladesh.
In that match, Perry was named Player of the Match after taking two wickets and scoring an unbeaten 19 as Australia secured an easy nine-wicket win.
After travelling from Leeds to Southampton, Perry said she was pleased to be back at a venue she enjoys playing at.
“It’s lovely to be back. It’s probably one of our first blue skies for a little while as well, so it’s quite like Hampshire to put on the weather.
“I think typically it’s a great wicket here, a really nice place to play cricket, and we’ve had some really great matches here over the years, so it’s always nice coming back.
“It’s a great ground for batting but equally gets a good purchase off the wicket from a bowling perspective. It runs fast on a sunny day, it’s lovely to be out there. So, I think everyone’s excited for this one.”
Australia will face the Netherlands in the tournament, and Perry believes it is important for cricket to keep growing around the world.
“I think the growth of the game is so important and looking at the horizon as well with the Olympics coming up, the more nations that we have playing cricket and also competing strongly is super important.
“You’ve got to work exceptionally hard to scout well against teams that you haven’t played a lot against. The Netherlands are particularly one of them for us. So, I think that’s really cool and it bodes so well for the future. I think it’s such a wonderful sport, and I think the more we can expose that to different parts of the world, the better.”
While Australia have started the tournament strongly, the Netherlands are still looking for their first win after a 95-run defeat to India at Headingley. India posted 209/5, led by Smriti Mandhana’s brilliant 74, before bowling the Dutch side out for 114.
Despite the loss, Netherlands head coach Neil MacRae believes facing the best teams in the world is exactly why his side wanted to qualify for the tournament.
“I think Australia are rightly ranked number one in the world,” said MacRae. “So, I think when we go to play Australia, we certainly will have that spirit. That’s the reason we’re here.
“For what the girls have had to overcome in terms of the challenges of being an associate nation and a minority sport in the Netherlands, to actually reach a World Cup is an incredible achievement in itself, and it is purely down to the team spirit and the pride and gratitude of the Netherlands.
“We will need all of that against Australia, who are clearly a very strong outfit, and we’ve got some lessons to learn from today which we can hopefully take into that game on Saturday.”
MacRae admitted his team learned some valuable lessons from the defeat to India and hopes they can use them against Australia.
“We have to understand at this level of cricket that when we have a good period in the game, it’s not enough just to do it for a few balls or a couple of overs.
“We have to be able to extend that as long as possible and just keep repeating basic skills. With the bat, we’ve got to be brave enough to attack.
“We’ve got to be prepared to take our scoring options straight away, not wait a few balls. We won’t get as many loose balls against this level of side.
“There are some lessons there, but there are certainly some positives to build on as well.”
Australia will go into the match as favourites, but the Netherlands will hope to use the lessons from their defeat to India and give a stronger performance against the six-time champions.
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