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Ellyse Perry says women's cricket is evolving and improving at a rapid pace.
- The women's Indian Premier League is due to start in March, directly after the T20 World Cup
- Perry returned to T20I this week against India and hit her highest score in the format
- It was her first knock in 14 months and came at a strike rate of 159.57
The 32-year-old allrounder appears to have been re-energised by the current T20I tour to India and is eyeing a landmark 2023 with the prospect of another World Cup win and the inaugural season of the women's IPL.
"You're always trying to evolve," Perry said after enjoying her best-ever T20I knock for Australia — a 47-ball 75 with three sixes — on Wednesday to put Australia 2-1 ahead in their thrilling five-match series in India.
"The game's moving at a rapid pace forward. We've seen that around the world. Very fortunately for us, we've got the WBBL which is going now for eight editions.
"I think there is no better place to keep evolving and trying to develop. That's a strong motivating factor to still play. That's the most fun part of the game, to continue to work on things and work with people you love working with."
Perry has been working wonders for Australia for 15 years, but her future in the shortest format of the game had looked in jeopardy when she was sidelined amid suggestions she couldn't operate at the sort of run rate needed in a fast-changing T20 landscape.
But in her first T20I knock for 14 months in Mumbai on Wednesday, her run rate was a sizzling 159.57, compared to her international career rate of 107.53.
What's more, she produced her 33-ball 50 — her quickest-ever in any international — after coming in when Australia were tottering on 2-5.
Also chipping in with one crucial over with the ball which went for just two runs, she reminded everyone why she ought to be still be in great demand for the inaugural opening season of the women's IPL, which is set to kick off in March straight after the T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Perry clearly fancies being at the heart of both. Asked about the prospect of playing in the IPL, which she described as the "next frontier" of the women's game, the Sydneysider said: "I think everyone would want to be involved in another really pivotal moment in the history of the sport.
"For it to be coming to fruition now, I would imagine every female player around the globe would love to be involved in that."
The excitement generated by the current Australia-India series in Mumbai, she reckons, shows what could lie in store.
"Hopefully, more than anything, the crowds that are coming to watch the games and people tuning in on telly are just seeing extremely great games of cricket regardless of gender," she said.
"They're incredibly entertaining — we had a Super Over the other night, there's been really high-scoring games, a lot of sixes, some good catches — and few drops too — they're just great contests.
"They're a really good spectacle for people and, hopefully, the IPL will be like that as well."
AAP