Sydney, July 28 (IANS) Australian veteran Ellyse Perry has heaped praise on captain Sophie Molineux, saying her leadership helped the team produce some of the best cricket it has ever played as Australia clinched a record-extending seventh ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title at Lord’s cricket ground earlier this month.
Australia defeated England by seven wickets in the final to complete an unbeaten campaign, with Molineux leading the side to the title in her first ICC tournament as captain. Perry, who has now won seven Women’s T20 World Cup titles, said the triumph was made even more special by Molineux’s remarkable journey back to international cricket.
“We lived together in Melbourne for a period of time and, I guess, over that period, I’ve seen some really big challenges from a cricket perspective, and I’ve also seen throughout that whole time the amazing fortitude and tenacity that she has to get back and to play cricket for Australia. She’s also one of the most naturally talented cricketers I’ve ever come across,” Perry told cricket.com.au.
Perry said Molineux’s qualities extended well beyond her skills as a player.
“She’s got this amazing natural nous for captaincy on the field, tactically, but also off the field and how she brings a group together and makes everyone feel incredibly valued. For her to finally get to a point where she was able to show everyone that incredible talent and create this space for us as a team where it’s probably some of the best cricket we’ve ever played, and we’ve done it consistently and with such a big smile on our face,” she added.
Reflecting on Australia’s dominant campaign, Perry admitted the title still felt surreal and described it as the most memorable World Cup triumph of her career.
“I think it probably still feels a bit surreal. I didn’t have a huge amount of time to reflect on the tournament other than this real sense of satisfaction, not just with the final, but the way that we played throughout the whole competition.
“We didn’t have a bad game or a moment where we had to readjust what we were doing. The way we were able to execute our style of play throughout the tournament and the performances across the board from every player was just awesome.”
Perry also reserved special praise for Australia’s emerging stars Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll, both of whom impressed throughout the tournament.
Litchfield scored 126 runs in four matches despite battling a quad injury, including a 24-ball half-century against South Africa and a crucial 48 in the final against England. Voll finished with 130 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 141.30.
“We’ve got some amazingly talented players. Phoebe had a disrupted campaign with a quad injury and then came out in the final and played a phenomenal innings that only she’s capable of. Volly has been so incredible since she’s come into our T20 side, ODI side and Test side. She’s just taken to international cricket like a duck to water. I’m sure that’s the start of a long and successful career for both of them,” Perry said.
--IANS
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