Key Points
Perry chasing milestone of 1,000 Test runs
Australian team enters Test with white-ball momentum
Veteran all-rounder continues dedicated training approach
Pink-ball Test promises exciting cricket showdown
With Australia having won all six white-ball fixtures in the women's Ashes so far, three ODIs and T20Is each, they will be heading into the one-off Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with a momentum they have never had before.
Among the players in the spotlight is Perry, who has battled a lean run in the series. Besides a half-century in the second ODI, she has managed just 96 runs in the white-ball series, with five scores of 15 runs.
But she also has a milestone to chase. Perry currently sits at 928 Test runs at an average of 61.86 in 13 Tests, with two centuries and four fifties. Her best score is 213*. If she scores 75 runs or more, she will go past Karen Rolton (1,002) as her country's top run-getter in women's Tests. Only 10 women have touched the 1,000-run mark in Tests, with England skipper Heather Knight also on the brink of the milestone, with 913 runs in 13 Tests in 23 innings at an average of 43.47, with two centuries and five fifties and best score of 168*.
Still a meticulous trainer at the age of 34, with 17 years of international experience behind her, Perry practiced for 90 minutes against the pink-ball.
"She has been so good over a long period of time, and she is just going to keep ticking off records," Molineux said about Perry, according to cricket.com.au.
"I have never seen someone so dedicated. After 17 years of international cricket, she still wants more," he added.
Australia Test squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
