Ellyse Perry appointed Birmingham Phoenix captain

Birmingham Phoenix, part of the Hundred competition run by the England Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has appointed star allrounder Ellyse Perry as their skipper for the 2024 edition of the tournament. In February, she was retained for a price of £40,000 (₹ 42.64 lakh approximately). 

Perry was also selected as captain last year but couldn’t take part in the 2023 edition for the Edgbaston-based side due to a knee injury she picked up during the Ireland Women's Tour of Australia just a week before the tournament. Evelyn Jones, the experienced left-handed opening batter, handled the skipper duties for the Phoenix in 2023.

The 33-year-old, who recently won the Women’s Premier League’s 2024 edition, isn’t new to captaining a franchise league side; she has led Sydney Sixers all season for the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). 

Widely considered one of the greatest all-rounders in the women’s game, ICC Player of the Decade 2010-2020, Perry has over 6000 runs and 300 international wickets in a career that spans over 17 years. She has played the 2022 edition (her only one so far) for the Phoenix, where she scored 134 runs in six innings 

The Australian all-rounder said on her appointment, “I’m incredibly honoured to be named Birmingham Phoenix captain. It is a wonderful club, which means a lot to me. It was disappointing to miss out on joining the group last season so I'm really excited to be back this year.”

“Playing at Edgbaston in The Hundred has been a special experience. We get fantastic crowds, with excellent support, and it is wonderful to see fans from so many varied demographics wearing orange and cheering us on in the Hollies Stand.

"I’m looking forward to joining the whole playing squad, both our existing and new players to work towards a really successful season for the Phoenix."

Along with Perry, quite a few Australian women cricketers, including Beth Mooney, Sophie Molineux, Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne, and former skipper Meg Lanning, are travelling to England for the Hundred in the summer. 

The women’s competition in the Hundred, which is in its fourth year, begins on July 24, while the men’s competition begins a day before on July 23.