Ellyse Perry
'Youngest', 'Only', 'Best' - You don't get very far into a description of Ellyse Perry's career before the superlatives appear.
Not only is Ellyse the youngest ever cricketer, male or female, to have represented Australia, she is one of very few Australians to have represented her country in two different sports, and the only person ever to have played for Australia in both cricket and football (soccer) World Cups.
No wonder Cricket Australia, not short of high achievers to draw upon, calls Ellyse 'arguably the best athlete in Australia'.
Ellyse's many accolades include being named the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in both 2017 and 2019, and three-times winning Australia's prestigious Women's International Cricketer of the Year (Belinda Clark Award) in 2016, 2018 and 2020. In a remarkable recognition of her dominance, she was named ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade, Women's ODI Cricketer of the Decade, and Women's T20I Cricketer of the Decade in 2020.
A key member of Australia's all-conquering team, Ellyse has been central to the side's success across multiple World Cup victories, including the 2022 ICC Women's ODI World Cup and the 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup - bringing her total to eight World titles with Australia across both formats.
On the statistical front, Ellyse has rewritten the record books time and again. In 2023, she became the first female cricketer to play 300 games for Australia, and by 2024 had become the first woman in history to surpass 7,000 international runs and 300 wickets.
In February 2026, Ellyse became the first Australian woman - and only the third female cricketer in history - to play 350 international matches. Beyond her international commitments, Ellyse is one of the most sought-after players in the global women's game. She is a foundation player and inaugural captain of the Sydney Sixers in Australia's Women's Big Bash League, a franchise she has helped to two titles. She has also become a key figure for Birmingham Phoenix in England's The Hundred competition, now entering her fifth season with the club. She has also been a marquee player for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in India's Women's Premier League, where she was the highest run-scorer in their 2024 title-winning campaign and is the second-highest run-scorer in the competition's history.
Off the field, Ellyse stands as one of the most commercially powerful athletes in Australian sport. She has held long-term partnerships with some of the country's and world's most recognisable brands - including Adidas, Commonwealth Bank, and Weet-Bix - long-term relationships that speak to the trust brands place in her as an ambassador. With nearly 4 million followers across social media, she is among the most followed female cricketers in the world, with a global fanbase that spans Australia, India, and the UK. Ellyse's commercial appeal is as exceptional as her on-field record, making her one of the most complete athlete brands in the Australian sports landscape.
These achievements join a long and still-growing list of records and 'firsts' that Ellyse has set across a career that has redefined what is possible in Australian women's sport.