Ellyse Perry named ICC’s greatest women’s cricketer of the decade

Australia’s Ellyse Perry has been named the ICC’s women’s cricketer of the decade, with Steve Smith winning the men’s Test player of the decade award. Perry took the overall honour and was also acclaimed as the ICC’s ODI and Twenty20 female player of the decade.

Smith collected the men’s Test award, with Indian captain Virat Kohli winning the overall men’s player of the decade award. Kohli also was named as the men’s ODI player of the decade, with Afghani spinner Rashid Khan taking out the T20 equivalent.

Australian star Perry was hailed as the best women’s player to cap a dominant decade. From 1 January 2011 to 7 October this year – the timeframe set by the ICC – Perry scored 4,349 runs and took 213 wicket in all international formats.

The 30-year-old from NSW was also a four-time T20 World Cup winner in that period and a member of Australia’s triumphant 2013 ODI World Cup team.

“Wow. I feel incredibly honoured … especially given how many incredible players there are in our game,” Perry said. “Thinking back to when I started, it has been an amazing experience and privilege to play for my country and to do something that I absolutely love.

“Also, to think where the game has got to in the last decade, it has been a very special 10 years for women’s cricket and the development that has occurred across that time in all formats of the game across every part of the world. It has been an amazing thing to be a part of.”

Her compatriot Smith took the men’s Test player gong for scoring 7,040 Test runs, featuring 26 centuries and 28 half-centuries in the timeframe. Indian skipper Kohli won the overall men’s award for his phenomenal run-scoring in the timeframe: his 20,396 runs included 66 tons and 94 half-centuries.