Australia’s first World Cup semifinal loss since 2017, but Perry offered no excuses, praising consistency.
Navi Mumbai
Ellyse Perry, one of Australia’s most admired cricketers, hailed India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues for their match-winning brilliance in the Women’s ODI World Cup semifinal, saying even the Australian dressing room applauded their effort.
India pulled off the highest successful chase in women’s ODI history, overhauling Australia’s 339 to storm into Sunday’s final against South Africa. Harmanpreet’s 89 and Jemimah’s unbeaten 127 powered India to an unforgettable victory at DY Patil Stadium.
“All of us in our dressing room would applaud Harman and Jemi for the way they played,” Perry said after the match. “They just made us pay. All credit goes to them, rather than anything we did or didn’t do.”
Perry brushed aside talk of dropped catches that allowed Jemimah to continue her stunning knock. “No one means to make mistakes,” she said. “In high-pressure games, things happen. Everyone’s giving their all — that’s sport.”
Reflecting on her own innings of 77 and her 155-run stand with Phoebe Litchfield (119), Perry said, “My innings is irrelevant. Someone always has a day out in big matches, and today it was Harman and Jemi. They were phenomenal.”
The semifinal defeat was Australia’s first in a World Cup since losing to India in 2017, but Perry refused to offer excuses. “You have to perform when it matters most. We’re still proud of our cricket and the way we’ve played all year.”
Australia coach Shelley Nitschke said transition talks could wait, while skipper Alyssa Healy confirmed she would not feature in the next ODI World Cup. For now, Perry said, “It’s India’s night — and they truly earned it.”
