Australia's Ellyse Perry becomes first cricketer to achieve 1000 runs-100 wickets double in T20Is

A look at legendary Ellyse Perry’s profile and one is struck by the staggering numbers she’s accumulated. A total of 624 runs in Test cricket from just eight matches and 2820 runs in 106 ODI matches with an average of 50-plus in both formats. Not just that, she has incredible numbers in the shortest format as well. In her most recent outing at Hove in the Women’s Ashes, the Aussie became the first player - male or female - to do the ‘double’ of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is. [caption id=“attachment_7073331” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Australia’s Ellyse Perry scored an unbeaten 47 in the second T20I against England. Reuters[/caption] Her unbeaten 47 runs in Australia’s seven-wicket win in the second T20I against England took her tally past 1000 runs in 104 matches. She now has 1005 runs from 60 innings at an average of 28.71 and strike rate of 105.56 with three fifties. She had already reached the mark of 100 wickets in T20I matches, during the World T20I final in November, but a solitary dismissal of Amy Jones took her count to 103 wickets from 100 innings. She averages 18.90 with an economy rate of 5.90 with best figures of 4/12. Perry downplayed her achievement in the post-match interaction. “I guess it’s lovely, but I wasn’t aware of it,” she said as per ESPNCricinfo. “I actually think in T20 cricket at international level, we probably play it as much as the men, so I have played a pretty big volume of games now - over 100, so I suppose when you’ve played 100 games you might get close to it. That’s probably the only reason I’m there - because I’ve played a lot of games,” she added. By chasing down 122 runs with 13 balls to spare, Australia took a 2-0 lead in the T20I series and have already ensured the Ashes was staying with them . “It was really cool to be out there with Meg (Lanning, with whom Perry put on 87). I really enjoy batting with her and she’s incredible when she’s going. To be at the other end is quite easy really.” “I think those kinds of totals are always tricky chases. You don’t want to be too reckless but you also don’t want to hold yourself back. Once we got settled, it felt pretty rhythmical and obviously Meg is in unbelievable form and she just carried on from where she left off in the last match.” Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi came close to matching Perry’s feat with his 1416 runs and 98 wickets. But among the current players, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan holds the real possibility with 1471 runs and 88 wickets.