Ellyse Perry praises Smriti Mandhana’s skill, mindset and tenacity

Ellyse Perry praised Smriti Mandhana's skill, willpower and mindset, calling her a great competitor. The Australia great also reflected on her career longevity, representing Australia and the growth of women's cricket ahead of the inaugural ICC Women's Champions Trophy.

Hyderabad: Ellyse Perry, a legend of the game, led Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred 2026 and finished a disappointing campaign for her team on a high, with a match-winning performance in their final league game, says India star opener Smriti Mandhana is successful because of her amazing skill and incredible willpower and super strong mind.

Speaking to JioStar, Perry said: “The way she approaches the game, the way she prepares, the way she knows herself, the way she thinks about things, and the way that she likes challenges. She’s got it all. Harman, I think her greatest strength is her tenacity. She’s a great competitor, and when she’s going, she hits some of the biggest shots in the women’s game.”

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Reflectingon her longevity, Perry said: “You just naturally evolve as you grow as a person. Over the many years I’ve been involved in the game, there have been a number of different experiences, things to learn, people to work with and new avenues to explore.”

“ I guess incrementally, as that happens, you add new things or change the way you do things. Often, they’re only small changes, but over a long period of time, there’s always something new or a way to learn more. Hopefully, you keep improving, and that just kind of builds upon each other. So, nothing in particular, just years of experience,” she said.

On the proudest achievement of her career, Perry said: “Honestly, just being able to play for Australia would be my proudest achievement. I’m a really passionate and patriotic Australian, and I love representing my country.”

On the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027, the legend said: “It’s another great opportunity for the women’s game and for all the teams competing. From my perspective, it’s a new event, so it’s always exciting to be a part of something like that, and a new spot on the calendar, which will be great for everyone.”

“ You want to play every game well. This tournament will be physically and mentally a huge challenge, and preparing for those matches, everyone’s going to have to be spot on. But yeah, the mindset remains the same, you just want to win every game,” she said.

On her advice for young girls taking up cricket, Perry said:

“I was unbelievably fortunate to have some amazing advice when I was younger. I grew up playing cricket locally with some great friends, and I’ve always gone down to the nets with my dad. He’s taught me just about everything I know about cricket, and I’ve just loved having him as a confidant and someone to lean on all the time.”

“ I think the landscape of women’s cricket is really different these days. You walk into a very different environment as a young professional, but those girls are so well prepared for that. So, I don’t think there’s any one piece of advice. It’s probably just as much as they would learn from current players, I learn from them. They’ve got a different experience, a different energy and a different way of going about things. So, it’s just about supporting each other and having a really open mind to learn from each other,” Perry signed off.