An Ellyse Perry master class with the bat has helped world champions Australia take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five match T20I series against India.
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Perry’s unbeaten 72*-run innings from mere 42 balls, and some scintillating knocks from the middle-order batters in Ashleigh Gardner (42 off 27) and Grace Harris (27 off 12), helped take the Aussie scorecard to a challenging 188/3 in their 20 Overs during the 4th T20I at the Brabourne Stadium.
In reply, the Indian batters were well and truly up for the task to chase the score down, but a comparatively slower run-rate in the middle Overs perhaps cost them the match by 7 runs, with the likes of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (46 off 30) and in-form Richa Ghosh (40* off 19) nearly managing to draw level the series.
Ashleigh Gardner was adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’ for her 27-ball 42, and then returning with bowling figures of 4-0-20-2, in a high-scoring encounter.
Ellyse Perry hails India as the spiritual home of Cricket
During the post-match interaction, Ellyse Perry expressed her amazement on the way the crowd turned up for the match in support of the home team; which in fact has been the highlight of this series so far.
Upon then being asked to express her views on the inaugural edition of the Women’s IPL next year, Perry termed the imminent tournament as the ‘next frontier for the women’s game”. She further termed India as the spiritual home of Cricket, as was more than just confident for the Women’s IPL to be as successful as the Women’s Big Bash League, and The Hundred.
“The IPL is going to be amazing. Next frontier for the women’s game. We’ve seen what the WBBL has done for women’s cricket in Australia, the Hundred in England and the next step is the women’s IPL in what is the spiritual home of cricket,” exclaimed Perry.
The two teams will play the fifth and final T20I of the series on December 20 (Tuesday), at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai yet again.
