On February 21, 2026, at Adelaide Oval, 35-year-old Ellyse Perry etched her name deeper into cricket history, becoming the first Australian and third woman overall, after India’s Harmanpreet Kaur and New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, to reach 350 international appearances.
This milestone arrives in the third T20I of the ongoing multi-format series against India (February 15 to March 9), featuring three T20Is, three ODIs, and a pink-ball Test at W.A.C.A., Perth. With the T20I series locked at 1-1, India’s 21-run DLS win in the opener, Australia’s 19-run bounce-back win in the 2nd T20I, Perry’s landmark underscores her unyielding legacy amid a gripping rivalry with India led by Harmanpreet Kaur.
Ellyse Perry exploded onto the scene at 16, debuting in ODIs against New Zealand in Darwin on July 22, 2007, fresh from school. Player of the Match on T20I debut versus England at the MCG (February 1, 2008), she earned her Baggy Green in Bowral for the Test bow against England (February 15, 2008).
Evolving from fiery pacer to all-time great all-rounder, she’s a seven-time World Cup winner, three-time Belinda Clark Award recipient, Test double-centurion, holder of Australia’s best ODI figures, and ICC Cricketer of the Decade. First to 300 caps in early 2024 (well ahead of Alyssa Healy’s 295), Perry shows no fade at 35. In this T20I series, she’s scored 27 runs at 128.57 strike rate and 13.50 average over two innings.
T20I Mastery: Explosive Reinvention
Perry’s T20I ledger dazzles: 170 matches, 2200 runs at 30.55 average and 116.95 strike rate (HS 75, 9 fifties), to go along with 126 wickets at 18.92 average (BBI 4-12, economy 5.84, 4 four-wicket hauls).
Her finest bowling spell came on January 31, 2016, against India at Sydney Cricket Ground, 4-0-12-4 in the third T20I, clinching a 15-run win and Player of the Match honours for her all-round fireworks. With the bat, she peaked on December 14, 2022, at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, smashing 75 (47 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes) at No. 4 in a 172/8 total, securing a 21-run victory and another Player award. Dropped from the T20I XI nearly a year prior, even carrying drinks at the Commonwealth Games, Perry retooled her strike rate. Recalled for India’s five-match T20I tour, following her career-best outing with the bat, by starting the latter innings with a six on the first ball of her innings for the first time in her international career.
ODI Dominance: Relentless Record-Breaker
In ODIs, Perry boasts 165 games, 4504 runs at 48.43 average and 78 strike rate (HS 112*, 3 tons, 37 fifties), alongside 166 wickets at 25.56 (BBI 7-22, economy 4.38, 3 five-wicket hauls).
Batting brilliance shone on September 8, 2019, versus West Indies at North Sound, 112* (118 balls, 9 fours) at No. 3, powered 308/2, a 151-run rout, and was the Player of the Match. Her legendary 7-22 arrived July 7, 2019, against England at Canterbury’s St Lawrence Ground in the Ashes decider. This spell, 10 overs of devastation after meticulous prep, crushed England, yielding a 194-run win and series foundation. Perry’s perfectionism sealed Player of the Match.
Test Timelessness: Historic Fortress
Across 14 Tests, Perry amassed 930 runs at 58.12 (HS 213*, 2 tons, 4 fifties) and 39 wickets at 21.82 (BBI 6-32, BBM 9-70, 2 five-fors).
Her batting zenith: 213* (374 balls, 27 fours, 1 six) versus England at North Sydney Oval (November 9-12, 2017, Ashes). Resuming at 193* post-ninth wicket, she eyed the double-ton, launching off-spin for a presumed six (ruled short), then a boundary three balls later, the highest Individual score by an Australian woman in a Test match and third overall. The match drew; she took Player honours. Bowling peak: 9-70 match figures (30-10-70) came against England at Canterbury (August 11-14, 2015).
Ellyse Perry’s 350th cap isn’t an end; it’s fuel for more chapters in women’s cricket’s grandest story.
Loves all things female cricket