Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry will bring her star power to the inaugural season of The Hundred, after agreeing to join Birmingham Phoenix.
Perry's signing represents a major coup not just for the franchise but the tournament as a whole and, having recently been named as women's player of the decade, she will instantly become one of the faces of the competition.
The 30-year-old is currently ranked as the world's top all-rounder in one-day international cricket and will form a formidable pairing with New Zealand's Sophie Devine, who sits at the summit in the T20 rankings and is also part of the Phoenix squad.
Perry is enthusiastic about taking part in the new 100-ball concept, which sees men's and women's franchises given equal billing and playing for identical prize money.
"I can't wait to come over to the UK and get involved in The Hundred this summer," she said. "It's fantastic to see how it's put women's cricket in the spotlight and attracted so many of the world's top players to come and play in it.
"With 100 balls per side it's going to be really exciting to play in, and I'm looking forward to helping introduce a new generation to cricket and hopefully inspiring them to pick up a bat and ball themselves."
Perry's signing was a priority for head coach Ben Sawyer, who has worked with her in the international arena as well as with Sydney Sixers in the Women's Big Bash League.
"Ellyse is a world-class cricketer who would improve any team and we are thrilled that she will be turning out for us at Birmingham Phoenix this summer," he said.
"I've been lucky to work with her over a number of years and I know her quality and work-ethic will be a huge asset to us and the whole competition."
