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Ellyse Perry Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth3 November 1990

Age33 Years

BirthplaceSydney, New South Wales, Australia

ProfessionCricketer (all-rounder); Soccer player

NationalityAustralian

Marital statusDivorced

SpouseMatt Toomua (m. 2015; div. 2020)

FamilyFather: Mark Patrick Perry; Mother: Kathy Perry; Brother: Damien Perry

Ellyse Perry Biography

Ellyse Perry is an Australian dual-international who has excelled as a cricket all-rounder and as a football defender. Debuting for Australia as a teenager

Early life and background

Ellyse Alexandra Perry was born on 3 November 1990 in Sydney, New South Wales. Raised in a sporting household—her father, Mark Patrick Perry, played representative cricket and squash, and her mother, Kathy, was a swimmer—Perry tried a range of sports in childhood, including touch football, tennis, golf and athletics. She attended Beecroft Primary School and Pymble Ladies’ College before studying economics and social science at the University of Sydney.

Perry’s first formal cricket coaching came from her father. She developed an early friendship with fellow cricketer Alyssa Healy, a teammate in the Australian side; Healy’s long-standing nickname for Perry is “Dags.” Perry’s listed physical profile includes a height of about 176 cm (5 ft 9.3 in) and an athletic build that supported careers in two national sports.

Career

Perry’s international sporting career began as a teenager. At 16 she made her One Day International cricket debut for Australia on 22 July 2007 against New Zealand, becoming the youngest player to represent Australia at that level. Within months she had also debuted in T20 internationals (1 February 2008 vs England) and in Test cricket (15 February 2008 vs England at Bowral), setting records as one of the youngest Australians to play in each format.

As a cricketer Perry has been a right-handed batter and a right-arm fast-medium bowler, known for a favourite stroke described as the back-foot cover drive. Her international résumé is extensive: she has held Australia’s Test highest score with an unbeaten 213 in a day–night Test at North Sydney Oval in 2017, recorded the first double milestone of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20 internationals, and became the first woman to reach 5,000 international runs and 300 international wickets in October 2021.

Perry’s match-winning contributions have been decisive in major tournaments. She was part of Australia’s World Twenty20-winning teams in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018, and played a prominent role in the 2010 final where her fielding and bowling helped secure victory. She also helped Australia to ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup success, including the 2013 campaign in which she returned from injury to take three wickets in the final. In the 2019–2020 period she produced several standout individual performances, including a maiden ODI century (107 not out vs New Zealand in February 2019) and a career-best WODI bowling figure of 7 for 22 against England in July 2019.

Domestically, Perry began in the Women’s National Cricket League for New South Wales in 2007–08 and won multiple WNCL championships with the state. She later moved to Victoria and captained the side in the opening matches of the 2021–22 season. In the domestic Twenty20 franchise circuit she was the first signing for the Sydney Sixers at the launch of the Women’s Big Bash League in 2015 and went on to become the first player to captain 100 WBBL matches. Her club affiliations have also included Loughborough Lightning, Supernovas, Birmingham Phoenix Women and Royal Challengers Bangalore Women, and she has worn the number 8 jersey for Australia and in various franchise competitions.

Before focusing exclusively on cricket, Perry also represented Australia in football (soccer) as a defender. She played for clubs including Central Coast Mariners, Canberra United and Sydney FC and appeared in the FIFA Women’s World Cup for her country, making her one of the first Australian athletes to compete at top-level world tournaments in both cricket and football.

Public profile

Perry’s performances have been recognised with numerous awards. She has earned multiple ICC accolades, including ODI Cricketer of the Year honours and selections to decade-spanning ICC lists; she won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award in multiple years and was named Wisden’s Leading Woman Cricketer in the World twice. Domestically she has been a multiple-time Belinda Clark Award recipient, a Cricket NSW Rising Star early in her career, and was named an Australia Post Legend of Cricket in 2021. In the Women’s Premier League she secured the Orange Cap in 2024 after scoring 347 runs in that season.

Off the field Perry’s tastes and interests are noted as including cycling and music. She has publicly listed favourite cricketers and footballers from earlier generations and prefers coffee (piccolo) and certain foods such as pumpkin and acai berry ice cream.

Personal life

Perry’s family includes an elder brother, Damien, who has played cricket. She married Australian rugby union player Matt To’omua in December 2015; the pair announced the end of their marriage in 2020. Her father is listed among her early coaches and mentors, and Ben Sawyer is also noted as a coach figure in her cricketing development.

Latest updates

Perry continued to be an influential presence in Australia’s international sides through the 2020s, contributing to Australia’s sixth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title in 2023. Her career milestones and leadership roles in the WBBL and other domestic competitions have underlined her status as one of the leading figures in women’s cricket.
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Recent Work

Orange Cap - WPL 2024

Scored 347 runs in the season to win the Orange Cap.

2024
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Career Highlights

  1. Youngest Australian to play international cricket (ODI debut at 16)
  2. First Australian woman to appear in both ICC and FIFA World Cups
  3. Highest individual Test score by an Australian woman (213 not out)
  4. First player to reach 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is
  5. First woman to record 5,000 runs and 300 wickets in international cricket (October 2021)
  6. First player to captain 100 WBBL games
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ellyse Perry born?

3 November 1990

What is Ellyse Perry known for?

Cricketer (all-rounder); Soccer player

What is Ellyse Perry’s marital status?

Divorced

Who is Ellyse Perry married to?

Matt Toomua (m. 2015; div. 2020)