Australian star all-rounder Ellyse Perry is in a race against time to prove her fitness for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 final against England in Christchurch.
The 31-year-old trained both on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning with little trouble, with captain Meg Lanning giving Perry a “strong chance” of being named in the first eleven.
Perry was joined by Rachael Haynes as the first players at Australia’s Saturday net session receiving underarms before moving into some heavier work.
Video
CWC22, Match Highlights
30 Mar 22
M29 Match Highlights: Australia v West Indies
“We feel like we’ll have a full squad to pick from,” Lanning stated in the press conference leading up to the final.
“Ellyse got through a pretty hard and high-intensity session yesterday and she’s trained again today, and is feeling pretty good.”
“It’ll just depend on how she pulls up this afternoon, that will be the final hurdle she’ll need to get over.”
The all-rounder did not look in discomfort, though did not partake in any bowling activities in the session, 24 hours out from their meeting with Heather Knight’s side.
The 127-ODI veteran missed Australia’s final group game against Bangladesh, and the semi-final against the West Indies with back spasms.
Perry’s status for the fixture is still unknown, though the 31-year-old was also a participant in the team’s fielding session on Friday.
Video
cwc19
01 Apr 22
Snehal Pradhan’s top picks – Upstox Most Valuable Team | CWC22
Australia head coach Matthew Mott has previously hinted that Perry could be selected as a specialist batter, though it would likely mean that Lanning would only have six viable bowling options.
Lanning utilised seven options against India, South Africa and England on the road to the tournament’s semi-finals.
