Women's CWC: Ellyse Perry ruled out of Aus' semi-final clash against WI
Mar 29, 2022
Wellington [New Zealand], March 29 : Australia skipper Meg Lanning on Tuesday announced that all-rounder Ellyse Perry has been ruled out of the upcoming semi-final clash of the ongoing ICC Women's ODI World Cup against West Indies.
Perry was forced from the field during Australia's match against South Africa last Tuesday due to back spasms.
"We'll go in without her tomorrow and we'll keep assessing her if we are to progress in the tournament. So, unfortunate for her and the team, obviously, a big blow but we feel like we've got some good depth to be able to cover it and we're going to have to do that tomorrow," said Lanning as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
Australia were hopeful about Perry's recovery on time but they were focused on putting their best foot forward in the semi-final with the personnel available at their disposal.
"Look, she hasn't done a lot [of training] over the past week, to be fair. She batted a little bit in the nets yesterday and felt okay, but she certainly just wasn't in a position, unfortunately, to be able to perform at the level needed tomorrow. So, that was why we've made the call on that today," said Lanning.
"But, to be honest, we haven't looked too far ahead. We will keep assessing her as we go if we are to progress but the team and the squad is very focused on tomorrow and making sure that we're putting out our best game because everything else is irrelevant, to be honest," she added.
This is the second World Cup semi-final on the trot Perry will miss, having sat out the 2020 T20 World Cup semi-final and the final on home soil through a hamstring injury sustained in eventual champions Australia's last league fixture.
Australia and West Indies will be facing each other in the semi-final match of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup on Wednesday.
