Ellyse Perry, the Australian all-rounder, fell agonizingly short of a century on the first day of the Women’s Ashes Test match against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Australia, after winning the toss, opted to bat but their openers Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield failed to convert their starts. It was Perry who came to the crease and formed a crucial partnership of 119 runs with Tahlia McGrath. However, England’s spinner Sophie Ecclestone managed to break the partnership by dismissing McGrath for 61.
The match experienced a rain interruption, leading to an early tea break and a delay of 90 minutes before the third session resumed. Ecclestone continued to trouble the Australian team by claiming two wickets in a single over, removing Jess Jonassen and captain Alyssa Healy from the crease.
Perry, known for her remarkable Test average of over 75, seemed well on her way to achieving her third century, having hit 15 boundaries. However, England debutant Lauren Filer enticed Perry into a drive when she was on 99. Perry made contact with the ball, but it flew off the outside edge and was caught by Nat Sciver-Brunt at gully, leaving her stranded on 99.
To limit the damage for Australia, Ashleigh Gardner and Annabel Sutherland formed a 77-run partnership for the seventh wicket.
Gardner’s innings came to an end when England took the new ball, with Lauren Bell dismissing her caught behind for 40.
At stumps, Sutherland remained unbeaten on 39, while newcomer Alana King was accompanying her at the crease with a score of 7.
After the end of the day’s play, Perry stated that she had been thinking about “nothing in particular,” when asked if the landmark figure had been on her mind.
“Like every other ball, it’s just an opportunity at a particular moment in time, and I’d had a really great tussle with Filer the whole time. I thought she was extremely impressive today on debut and brought the game alive at different points,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Perry as saying.
“So that ball just had my measure, which is totally fine. It’s a number, and one that we talk about a lot in cricket, but the whole experience out there today was so much fun. I loved every opportunity. Sometimes things just go that way. It’s hard to be disappointed,” she added.
“It was nice to contribute. It was nice to be a part of a few really good partnerships, particularly that one with TMac [Tahlia McGrath]. It’s just like any other time to get out. It’s a bit of a bummer, but gosh, the game definitely goes on, and life goes on for sure.”
