NEWS
Follow UsAustralia received a boost ahead of Sunday's blockbuster final against England in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup as captain Meg Lanning confirmed the return of allrounder Ellyse Perry.
Perry had missed out on Australia's last two matches, including their semifinal win against West Indies, due to back spasms.
"Ellyse got through a pretty hard and high-intensity session yesterday and she's trained again today and is feeling pretty good," Lanning said at the pre-match press conference.
"It will just depend on how she pulls up sort of this afternoon, that will be the final hurdle she needs to get over. But at this stage, it is looking pretty good.
However, Perry might not bowl in the final in order to avoid strain on her back.
"She can definitely play as a specialist bat and that's probably the most likely scenario. She hasn't bowled for a couple of weeks now and it would be difficult for her to come out and bowl in a final," she added.
However, Australia have seven other bowling options at their disposal, including four pacers in the form of Darcie Borwn, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland and Tahlia McGrath.
Lanning said the team is feeling nervous as they aim for their seventh world title against defending champions England.
"There are certainly some nerves around, it would be crazy if you weren't nervous heading into a World Cup final, so it's a good thing. But there's a lot of excitement," Lanning said.
Following their elimination in the semifinal stage at the hands of India, Australia have stormed into the finals of the 2022 edition and have lost only one ODI since March, 2018.
"We know that it's going to be tough, England always provide a great contest. They've got some world-class players who can take the game away from you really quickly," Lanning, who will be playing her 100th ODI, said.
"Both teams start on zero runs tomorrow and it's about putting out a really good performance and that's the challenge for our team," she added.
(With inputs from PTI)
