Ellyse Perry becomes the second Australian woman to make 200 appearances for the country

Ellyse Perry. Arguably the most popular woman cricketer in the world. A legend of the game despite the fact that she is still playing. A player known for her consistency, hard work and incredible work ethic.



Today, she reached another landmark. The third ODI of Australia's series against Pakistan saw Perry play her 100th ODI and, make her 200th international appearance in the green and gold across all formats of the game.



She adds her name to a unique list of Australian greats; those who have appeared in 100 ODI's. She joins Alex Blackwell, Karen Rolton, Lisa Sthalekar, Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Belinda Clark. Following the third ODI, she also became the second-most capped Southern Star, after Blackwell, who, at the time of her retirement, had represented her country on 251 occasions.



Perry debuted for Australia in 2007, at the age of 16. Having come into the team primarily as a bowler, Perry evolved her game over time. She worked hard to make her way to the top and is now not only the highest ranked ODI all-rounder but the highest ranked ODI batter, too. After six years' of playing at the elite level, Perry was promoted up the batting order, into the top five. Up till then, Perry had scored a solitary half-century.



However, once she came into the top five, Perry showed just why she belonged there. Since her elevation up the order, she has amassed 2,100 runs in 44 innings. In that time, she has also added 24 half-centuries to her tally and overtaken Australian captain Meg Lanning on the batting charts.



Her career has spanned 11 years'. For someone so experienced, one would expect them to have peaked. Yet, according to Perry's teammate Elyse Villani, we are yet to see the best of her. Villani told cricket.com.au, "I think the thing with Pez (Perry) is that she's continuing to get better every season. She's always adding something to her game. You think she has reached her potential and then, the season after, she's brought something else into her game."



She further added, "It's pretty unbelievable that a player of her calibre is always improving. That's something I really admire in her. And, the fact that she does both (batting and bowling) particularly well is an absolute credit to the amount of time she spends on it. The dedication that she shows in her cricket is pretty unbelievable. She's an enormous talent, but she works bloody hard as well."



Another teammate of hers', Nicole Bolton, had similar things to say about Perry. She said to cricket.com.au, "She's gotten better every year that she's played, every one-day game she's played, she's really taken her game to the next level. I think what makes her so good is the fact that she can bowl 10 overs and then, she can go out there and make a 100. I don't know too many players that have the stamina, the fitness, the concentration, the work ethic to be able to do that."



While more recently Perry's batting has stolen the limelight from her bowling, it was with the ball that she first created a name for herself. She is Australia's third leading wicket-taker, with 131 scalps to her name. Leading her are Cathryn Fitzpatrick (180) and Lisa Sthalekar (146). She still opens Australia's bowling attack and continues to work hard to improve. Her teammate Beth Mooney suggests that Perry's tireless efforts to improve her bowling in the last 12-18 months have paid off.



"I think it's probably pretty even (between her batting and bowling) at the moment," Mooney commented. "I think her bowling has come along in the last 12 months to be a bit more threatening than probably three or four years' ago... She's definitely an all-round athlete and all-round player, for whatever team she plays for. It's nice to have that many strings to your bow."



Perry would have wanted to put in a memorable performance for her milestone match. Unfortunately for her, she could only manage 32 runs with the bat and remained wicket-less with the ball.



But, Perry has given us her fair share of memorable moments that will not be forgotten any time soon. Her last ball heroics of the 2010 World Twenty-20 being one of them. Perry was bowling the last ball, with New Zealand either requiring five runs to win or, four to take the game to a super-over. She bowled and Sophie Devine, who was on strike, hammered the ball straight down the ground. It looked to be a sure shot for the boundary. But, not if Perry could help it! She stuck out her foot, courtesy of her lightning-quick reflexes or perhaps, years of football practice, and deflected the ball to mid-on. Australia won as Perry gave just a single off the last delivery of the tournament.



And, who can forget Perry's historic double-century during the day-night Ashes test? At the North Sydney Oval, she broke the record for the highest test score by an Australian woman, with her 213*. While the innings was a memorable one in its' own right, the fact that Perry celebrated reaching 200 two times was something truly special. At 194, Perry hit the ball aerially. It was thought to have flown over the rope, after which Perry celebrated. The crowd then suggested otherwise. The footage was replayed and, the ball had bounced before the rope. Perry would have to wait some more to reach the 200-run mark.



There is no doubt that Perry is one of the greatest players of this generation. She has earned 200 international caps for Australia but, there are plenty more to come. What else does the superstar all-rounder have in store for us?