Pakistan no ‘pushover’: Ellyse Perry
ODI series set to begin on January 16 in Brisbane
aAhead of the limited-overs series in Australia — which begins with the first ODI on January 16 in Brisbane — Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry says she is not taking Pakistan lightly.
Pakistan’s tour consists of three T20Is and three ODIs, which are part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25.
Australia is the champion in both white-ball formats and is on top of the ICC rankings in both ODIs and T20Is, with Pakistan trailing behind in the ninth and seventh positions in the respective formats.
“They’ve had some new players come through and certainly their depth has built up,” she said, adding that the team was “certainly developing”.
“Equally they are going to be a really good challenge for us and are capable of playing some really good cricket,” the all-rounder said.
Pakistan is entering the ODI series in good form, having registered five wins from their six matches in the ICC Women’s Championship. They clinched a 2-1 win over Sri Lanka in Karachi in June last year and later achieved a 3-0 sweep over Ireland in Lahore in November.
Perry also expressed excitement over participation in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Indian Premier League, which is set to kick-off in March.
“It’s probably a brand-new frontier for the game and a really important one in terms of continual growth and progress,” she said.
Further elaborating on her excitement, she said “the fact that it’s happening is so important and an awesome opportunity for everyone.”
Speaking about the limited-overs series in separate interviews, Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof and opening batter Sidra Amin said that they were confident about the upcoming matches.
Schedule of Pakistan tour of Australia
16 January – First ODI at Allan Border Field, Brisbane
18 January – Second ODI at Allan Border Field, Brisbane
21 January – Third ODI at North Sydney Oval No.1, North Sydney
24 January – First T20I at North Sydney Oval No.1, North Sydney
26 January – Second T20I at Blundstone Arena, Hobart
29 January – Third T20I at Manuka Oval, Canberra