Hampshire have signed the Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry in a major coup for the restructure of the English women’s domestic game.
Perry, the all-time leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in the Women’s Ashes, has been at the forefront of eight Australia World Cup wins – two in ODIs and six in Twenty20 – and was named the International Cricket Council’s women’s player of the decade in 2020.
The 34-year-old will join the Hawks in July for their last six group matches in the T20 Vitality Blast and is available for Finals Day if they qualify. Perry is also set to feature in two Metro Bank One-Day Cup matches and is expected to make her debut in July against the Blaze, who represent Nottinghamshire, in Southampton.
“I’m really looking forward to joining the Hampshire team this summer,” Perry said. “The club has been a leader within the women’s game for the last 10 years and I’m excited to have the opportunity to join the team at such an exciting time for domestic cricket in England.”
Perry will also use her stint on the south coast as preparation for the Hundred, where she will represent Birmingham Phoenix for a fourth straight season. The new women’s Vitality Blast features six additional counties – Durham, Essex, Lancashire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire.
The Hampshire head coach, Paul Prichard, said: “Ellyse is one of the world’s best cricketers and we are looking forward to welcoming her to the team this summer. Her record across all formats speaks for itself and she will add a tremendous amount of value on and off the pitch.”
Perry has also previously played in England for Loughborough Lightning, the team now known as the Blaze in the new competition. She is the captain of the Sydney Sixers in Women’s Big Bash in Australia, and won the 2024 Women’s Premier League with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
