The Analysis: Ellyse Perry shows class on Hundred bow

NICK FRIEND: On a slow, tired surface with one particular spot that forced the ball to die completely, Perry hit 10 fours in her 31 balls. Her teammates managed nine between them

At long last, The Hundred could watch Ellyse Perry in full flight.

While the men's competition hasn't yet filled its overseas slots with the world's most recognisable names – and nor can it without the presence of India's very best – the women's tournament has been a who's who.

Perry, though, was conspicuous by her absence in 2021; she pulled out citing personal reasons and made Birmingham Phoenix wait 12 more months for her arrival. But on her new team's entrance to the second edition, she exuded the class that made her the premier women's cricketer of the last decade.

She has been beset by injuries in the two years since The Hundred was supposed to begin, and this was her first game of any description since the World Cup final four months ago – not that you'd have known as it unfolded, even if she confessed to holding some nerves.

On a slow, tired surface with one particular spot that forced the ball to die completely, Perry hit 10 fours in her 31 balls. Her teammates managed nine between them.

That Australia don't consider Perry to be among their best T20 cricketers anymore says plenty about the strength in depth of the world-leaders but also something about her own slight stagnation in the shortest format where even in the Women's Big Bash her strike rate has been noticeably lower than several of her peers.

She has lost her spot in Australia's middle order to Tahlia McGrath, so this represented a challenge of sorts – under her former Sydney Sixers head coach, Ben Sawyer – to improve her scoring rate through the middle overs and make a point to a national side that, until recently, felt impossible to imagine without her.

^{Amy Jones fell cheaply for Birmingham Phoenix but her side got off to a winning start (Stu Forster/Getty Images)}

Birmingham were struggling when she came to the crease, having lost both Amy and Eve Jones inside the first 18 balls. They were 20 for 2 after 20, but that was where Welsh Fire's stranglehold ended.

You'd do well to find a more dominant pairing in recent history than Perry and Sophie Devine, and together they took a run-a-ball start to 62 after 36 balls – more than 10 runs per over in old money – before Devine was brilliantly held by Alex Hartley at short fine leg. "The most coveted spot in world cricket is standing at the other end and watching Sophie Devine bat," said Perry afterwards with typical modesty. "I'm really honoured for the opportunity to be involved."

Heather Knight, commentating while she nurses a hip-joint problem, highlighted at the innings break how Perry scored more runs behind square on the legside than usual. She should know, after all, having spent much of her time as England captain attempting to plan her dismissal. She hooked the seamers and lap-pulled the spinners, threaded drives between fielders in the ring at cover and went to fifty – in 26 balls – by almost wiping out Sophie Molineux at the non-striker's end, all with a minimum of fuss.

For the game, it was terrific to see her back: she was an unused squad member at the Commonwealth Games and remains unable to bowl after a stress fracture, her latest injury setback.

In a way, it was a game for comebacks and point-proving: Katie George was bowling in the competition for the first time after effectively playing as a specialist fielder in 2021; Tammy Beaumont was playing her first T20 cricket since being dropped by England amid criticism of her attacking intent.

George was entrusted at the death, while Beaumont – captaining after moving across to Welsh Fire from London Spirit – opened up and scooped Sophie Devine's first ball for six.

^{Katie George was bowling in The Hundred for the first time (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)}

Knight was on the mic at the time, which made for intriguing listening: England's captain analysing her long-time teammate and, more specifically, talking through the decision to omit her from the Commonwealth Games squad, describing a potential for growth in her T20 game and – more pertinently perhaps – certain that Beaumont is the type to take that call as a personal challenge.

At times, she almost tried too much, and it wasn't a surprise that her dismissal came as she moved around the crease. A few balls earlier, a planned ramp-shot became a bunt into the off-side as Birmingham got wise to her deflections, before she charged Devine and was expertly stumped. All told, 39 off 34 balls wasn't what she had in mind.

Alongside her, Annabel Sutherland was doing the bulk of the boundary-hitting. Considered by many to be Perry's natural heir, there was a fitting symmetry that ended with the apprentice holing out to the master, though only once she'd used her long levers to launch one check-drive over long-on for six and another over extra cover for four.

So, there were shades of Perry to the end: she ran out Fran Wilson as the game petered out to ensure she fully made her mark on her belated debut in a competition that promised the best in the world and, with her arrival, has delivered.

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