Nottingham [UK], June 24 : Former Men's England skipper Naseer Hussain revealed that even as an English fan, he wanted to see Australia's Ellyse Perry reach triple figures in the one-off Test match of Women's Ashes.
Perry set the platform for Australia's impressive total of 473 on the first day. She ended up falling short by a single run in pursuit of her third century in the Test format.
Hussain reflected on her performance in the first innings and said, "I would have loved her to get an Ashes century actually," Hussain said in the latest episode of the ICC Review.
"I don't think any England fan would have begrudged her one more run because that innings deserved a hundred," Hussain added.
The 32-year-old's Test record speaks of her prowess, she has an average of 77.36 which is the second highest in the history of the Women's game.
"She's been brilliant. We've done ICC tournaments where we've seen her in 50-over World Cups. We've seen her reinvent herself in T20 cricket when her strike rate was dropping and the likes of Tahlia McGrath and everyone was coming through and their strike rates were going through the roof," Hussain said.
Hussain further pointed out the specifics that make her so special in the red ball format.
"She's always been an exceptional red-ball cricketer. With the ball she's been all over England, swinging that new ball at pace, and with the bat, technically she's so gifted - the pull shot she plays, the drive, everything. She got every shot in the book," Hussain signed off.
While Perry missed her third Test ton, Annabel Sutherland went on to score her maiden Test ton. In response, England's Tammy Beaumont went on to score her maiden Test ton.
England managed to reach 218/2 at stumps on the second day at Trent Bridge. They are still way behind Australia's first innings total of 473.
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