Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry believes the growth of women’s franchise leagues around the world has made cricket more competitive and exciting than ever.
Speaking ahead of Australia’s Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 match against Pakistan in Colombo on 8 October, Perry reflected on how much women’s cricket has evolved since her first T20 World Cup victory in the same city 13 years ago.
Perry and Alyssa Healy are the only two players remaining from Australia’s 2012 World Cup-winning squad who are part of the current team.
“Whenever you come back to a place you’ve been before, there are certain recollections. Alyssa (Healy) and I [the two players left from that squad in this tournament] were just talking about it the other day. It’s also amazing to see how far things have come since then,” Perry told reporters.
Speaking about the growth of the women’s game, she added, “There’s so much competition in the global landscape now. The advent of franchise leagues around the world has really expanded the depth of women’s cricket. It’s a huge challenge for us. There are so many good teams, but I also think that ultimately that’s why you want to play. The challenges that exist now are really exciting.”
Australia are preparing for their next group match against Pakistan after their previous game against Sri Lanka was washed out. Perry said the team had closely watched the India–Pakistan clash to understand the conditions at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Currently, Pakistan are at the bottom of the points table, having lost all their matches in the tournament.
For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz