Posted by The climax of the last Ashes Test was so dramatic that they decided to play another one. No, not that Ashes Test climax – this Ashes Test climax.
For England and Australia cricketers, Test opportunities come around either constantly or almost never, depending whether you’re a man or a woman. Australia’s greatest cricketer of the last 50 years just made 99 in her 11th Test.
As our erstwhile colleague Dan Liebke points out, this means that across her 16-year career, Ellyse Perry has now played half as many Tests as Cameron Green.
You’d think that might make getting out for 99 all the more painful – opportunities to score hundreds being so few and far between and all.
Not a bit of it.
“So that ball just had my measure, which is totally fine,” said Perry. “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’ve loved every opportunity. Sometimes things just go that way. It’s hard to be disappointed.”
We’re not sure this was the reaction when Mike Atherton was run out for 99 in the 1993 Ashes.
The bowler who dismissed Perry was debutante Lauren Filer, who actually thought she’d dismissed her earlier with her very first ball.
As very first balls go, it was a very first ball that suggested it might be worth watching a great many more balls. Hugely promising stuff. We could be looking at a player who will go on to play 10 or even 11 Tests here.
Filer is one of four debutantes in this match, which really isn’t that many for a women’s Test.
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Perry also said: ‘It’s a bit of a bummer, but gosh, the game definitely goes on, and life goes on for sure.’
Did she have anything to say about Ollie Robinson?
The fact she’s made 99 in England’s 99th Women’s Test indicates it was a rather subtle yet contrived act of trolling on her part.
It’s pleasing to see this is a five-day test though. If the games are so rare then at least give them time to hopefully get a positive result. In the 145 women’s tests that have taken place in all of history, there have been just 51 wins.
51 losses as well though.
Which is still 94 draws.
[Something…something…try to get the ratio of…]
”Women’s Draws Down!”.
(Guffaws of laughter from the unreconstructed male corner mitigated by sharp intakes of breath from the enlightened King Cricket readers’ corner).
Did you hear about Ged? Cancelled. Yeah, terrible. Real shame. Can’t say anything these days.
These double standards are sickening, I’ve also heard people on this site say that ties are Just for Men.
Indeed, Sam, for Ged in his capacity as a scribe, “winter draws on”.
Cue gales of laughter from old-school aficionados of running gags based on puns, while the woke comedy brigade call for Ged to be hanged, drawn & quartered.
As for ties (rather than draws), I am reminded of the following piece from less bewildering times:
https://www.kingcricket.co.uk/middlesex-v-gloucestershire-county-championship-match-report/2008/10/23/
I’m liking this alternation of men’s and women’s Tests. Would be quite happy for this pattern to continue all summer though I know there isn’t any commercial appetite for it. Does give pause for breath between the men’s Tests while still fulfilling that seasonal need to have radio commentary babbling in the background.