Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry has joined the list of elite female cricketing stars to have expressed their disappointment with the scarcity of Women's Test matches played at the highest level.
The last Test played in female cricket was back in November 2017 between Australia and England, who are also approaching the Women's Ashes, part of a multi-format series consisting of three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), one Test and three T20 Internationals.
Perry, who'll once again be key to Aussies' chances of clinching the victory over arch-rivals, hence emphasized the need to have more Test matches in women's cricket before the marquee clash at Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton.
"Everything’s been few and far between. It seems like every time I play a series at the moment it just gets a little bit bigger and better than the last," Perry told Daily Telegraph in an interview.
Having clean swept the ODIs, Australia currently leads the Ashes match-up with six points over the hosts, who have the chance to bounce back with four points of their own if they win the standalone Test.
Perry, meanwhile, also talked about the need to adjust her game for different formats and said: "I don’t think it’s that big. It’s still the same opposition, it’s still the same rules pretty much. Tactically, there’s a few things that come into it – around your decision-making, because you’ve got so much more time."
"Growing up, I did a lot of work that was technically based. So, I sort of feel that, no matter where you’re playing, the basics are still the basics. Then it’s just about adjusting on the day."
The 28-year-old is also quite pleased with the news that women's T20I cricket could soon be part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
"With all women’s sport at the moment, the sky’s the limit. It’s incredible some of the things that have been happening. We’re very fortunate to be in a position where what we’re doing is hopefully a really good news story and positive news story and has a massive influence on a lot of people. It kind of helps to change society a bit, which is pretty cool," Perry concluded.
