With The Hundred just around the corner, Ellyse Perry, who was the only senior Australian cricketer to have confirmed her place in The Hundred, has too withdrawn from the tournament due to personal reasons.
The Hundred is a cricketing tournament with a unique format. In every inning, only 100 balls will be played, giving importance to the balls rather than the overs. It is a gender-balanced tournament where 8 men’s and women’s teams will simultaneously compete for five weeks starting July 21.
The 30-year-old all-rounder, Ellyse Perry was supposed to play for the Birmingham Phoenix. Perry’s absence from the tournament will leave the team to replace yet another player in their squad as last month, Kiwi player Sophie Devine withdrew from the event.
India’s teen sensation Shafali Verma is named as the replacement of Sophie Devine, Perry’s replacement is yet to be announced.
“We are obviously very disappointed that Ellyse Perry has had to withdraw from the Hundred due to personal circumstances, but we completely understand her decision and wish her all the best,” Beth Barrett-Wild, head of the women’s competition, said.
In the last month, almost all the senior Aussie cricketers, both male and female, pulled out of The Hundred due to their national duty except for Ellyse Perry. Australian women’s team is supposed to host India in mid-September for a multi-format series, this is the main reason for the lack of Australian representation in the women’s camp of the Hundred.
The complete tour of India tour of Australia is here👇 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/NQWLR2heBc
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) May 20, 2021
There are also complications due to strict COVID-19 regulations in Australia, no charter flights will be available for the players to go or come back. The Australian government is going to limit the number of people entering the country in mid-July, so there is that risk too.
The positive thing to come out of the Australian players’ withdrawal is the inclusion of some WBBL players. Due to the unavailability of Aussie players, some teams in The Hundred have decided to give a chance to some of the best WBBL players as a replacement.
Brisbane Heat wicket-keeper batter Georgia Redmayne and Perth Scorchers bowler Piepa Cleary have been enlisted by Welsh Fire, alongside South Africa’s Sune Luus.
The Hundred will commence from July 21 with the first match being played between the Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals at Kia Oval in London.
Souirce: ESPN Cricinfo