Captain Alyssa Healy said Australia are still assessing Ellyse Perry’s fitness before deciding whether the all-rounder will feature in the pink-ball Test against Harmanpreet Kaur’s India, starting March 6 at the WACA in Perth. Perry played in the T20I series but missed the ODIs due to a quad strain.
Following the injury, Perry has remained with the Australian squad for rehabilitation. Australia head coach Shelley Nitschke earlier confirmed that Perry is making rapid progress. Healy added that Perry is a crucial member of the team, and Australia will wait before finalising her participation.
“We’ve got a very rough idea about what it’s going to look like. Obviously, Ellyse Perry is the key one, and we’ll just assess her as we go,” Healy told the reporters in Perth.
ELLYSE PERRY TRAINS HARD
On Wednesday, Perry returned to training, taking part in a strong batting session in the nets along with running drills. Healy commented that Perry looked positive during the workout but cautioned that her quad injury wasn’t “straightforward.”
“She trained really well yesterday, so it’s looking really promising. For her to be able to take part in this series again (would be) huge – from all reports, it wasn’t exactly a straightforward niggle that she had, so her ability to get back up for this game is pretty remarkable,” Healy said.
“Playing Test cricket for us girls is few and far between at times. So I think she’ll be champing at the bit to get out there,” Healy added.
If Perry is unable to play, Australia could turn to uncapped Tasmania top-order batter Rachel Trenaman. The squad also includes fast bowler Maitlan Brown, who was drafted in after Kim Garth was ruled out with a quad strain and is returning to the national setup for the first time since 2021.
Australia currently lead the multi-format series 8–4, having swept the ODI segment 3–0, while India had earlier won the T20I series 2-1. With the series points system in play, a Test victory would allow India to level the series at 8–8, making the final match important for Harmanpreet Kaur’s team, even though Australia have already claimed the overall title.
