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Perry swept the Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade, the Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade and ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade in a stunning sweep.

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The 30-year-old has achieved it all in her career, hitting 4349 International runs, taking 213 wickets, four T20 World Cups and the 2013 50-over World Cup title for Australia.

Having beamed in to the awards due to COVID, Perry sent a message and she praised the rise of the women’s game around the world.

“It has been tremendous to develop the women’s T20 game and take it forward. Amazing to see where it’s come from when I was introduced to it,” she said.

“A competition like the WBBL has had such a big impact not only on the professional game but the amount of young people and young girls in particular wanting to take up the sport.”

The humble champion said “I may not be the most dynamic of T20 players out there” but was a popular winner of the award.

On the mens side, Smith was named the Test player of the decade with India’s Virat Kohli taking out the ODI award and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan the T20I cricketer of the 2010s.

Kohli was also named the men’s cricketer of the decade.

But Smith is also in the midst of a stunning form slump.

The 31-year-old debuted in 2010 against Pakistan, famously as a leg spinner, but quickly turned into Australia’s most reliable middle order presence piling on an incredible record.

During the awards period, Smith hit 7040 Test runs at an average of 65.79, which was the second highest of all-time, behind only the great Donald Bradman.

But it comes after a day where his quirky batting style saw the star dismissed for 8, bringing his tally in four innings in the series against India to 10 with an average of 3.33.

He was dismissed bowled by a ball that clipped leg stump as he moved right across his crease by Jasprit Bumrah today.

It’s also seen his average drop to 61.33, dropping into third with Adam Voges’ average of 61.87 in 20 Test matches back into second place.

But despite being suspended for a year and being stripped of the Australian captaincy during the infamous ball tampering scandal, there was only ever going to be one winner.

It comes after nine Australians were named in the teams of the decade yesterday.

David Warner and Smith were both included in the Men’s Test Team of the Decade, with the pair collectively scoring 14,471 runs and 50 centuries in the game’s longest format during the adjudicated period.

Warner was named in the Men’s ODI Team of the Decade alongside Australian teammate Mitchell Starc, who was the highest wicket-taker in consecutive 50-over World Cups in 2015 and 2019.

Meanwhile, Australian one-day captain Aaron Finch and white-ball powerhouse Glenn Maxwell were both included in the Men’s T20I Team of the Decade.

Indian superstar Virat Kohli was the only player to feature in all three men’s sides.

Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy and Perry were unsurprising additions in the Women’s ODI Team of the Decade, with the trio collectively scoring 8464 runs and 19 centuries in the 50-over format.

David Warner and Steve Smith were both included in the Men’s Test Team of the Decade, with the pair collectively scoring 14,471 runs and 50 centuries in the game’s longest format during the adjudicated period.

Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara also featured in the XI as the designated wicketkeeper, despite not donning the gloves in a Test match since 2008.

Warner was named in the Men’s ODI Team of the Decade alongside Australian teammate Mitchell Starc, who was the highest wicket-taker in consecutive 50-over World Cups in 2015 and 2019.

Meanwhile, Australian one-day captain Aaron Finch and white-ball powerhouse Glenn Maxwell were both included in the Men’s T20I Team of the Decade.

Indian superstar Virat Kohli was the only player to feature in all three men’s sides. He was anointed captain of the Test XI, while former Indian teammate MS Dhoni was named the ODI and T20 teams’ skipper.

Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry were unsurprising additions in the Women’s ODI Team of the Decade, with the trio collectively scoring 8464 runs and 19 centuries in the 50-over format.

Having won four T20 World Cup titles this decade, four Australians also featured in the Women’s T20I Team of the Decade, in which pace bowler Megan Schutt was named alongside Lanning, Healy and Perry.

Lanning was anointed captain of both the ODI and T20I Teams of the Decade.

The ICC are expected to announce the best players of the decade across all formats on Monday AEDT.

Men’s Test Team of the Decade

Alastair Cook (ENG), David Warner (AUS), Kane Williamson (NZ), Virat Kohli (c) (IND), Steve Smith (AUS), Kumar Sangakkara (wk) (SL), Ben Stokes (ENG), Ravichandran Ashwin (IND), Dale Steyn (SA), Stuart Broad (ENG), Jimmy Anderson (ENG)

Women’s ODI Team of the Decade

Alyssa Healy (AUS), Suzie Bates (NZ), Mithali Raj (IND), Meg Lanning (c) (AUS), Stafanie Taylor, Sarah Taylor (wk) (ENG), Ellyse Perry (AUS), Dane van Niekerk (SA), Marizanne Kapp (SA), Jhulan Goswami (IND), Anisa Mohammed (WI)

Men’s ODI Team of the Decade

Rohit Sharma (IND), David Warner (AUS), Virat Kohli (IND), AB de Villiers (SA), Shakib Al Hasan (BAN), MS Dhoni (c & wk) (IND), Ben Stokes (ENG), Mitchell Starc (AUS), Trent Boult (NZ), Imran Tahir (SA), Lasith Malinga (SL)

Women’s T20I Team of the Decade

Alyssa Healy (wk) (AUS), Sophie Devine (NZ), Suzie Bates (NZ), Meg Lanning (c) (AUS), Harmanpreet Kaur (IND), Stafanie Taylor (WI), Deandra Dottin (WI), Ellyse Perry (AUS), Anya Shrubsole (ENG), Megan Schutt (AUS), Poonam Yadav (IND)

Men’s T20I Team of the Decade

Rohit Sharma (IND), Chris Gayle (WI), Aaron Finch (AUS), Virat Kohli (IND), AB de Villiers (SA), Glenn Maxwell (AUS), MS Dhoni (c & wk) (IND), Kieron Pollard (WI), Rashid Khan (AFG), Jasprit Bumrah (IND), Lasith Malinga (SL)

Hughes (96 off 51 balls) struck the highest score by a Sixers player in BBL history to secure the unlikely win on the Gold Coast, which finished after midnight local time with a final over that couldn’t be scripted.

An explosive partnership between Australian powerhouse Glenn Maxwell and West Indies import Nicholas Pooran wasn’t enough for the Stars, who were eventually toppled by one wicket.

The Sixers chose to bowl first after winning the toss, and all-rounder Jason Holder immediately removed West Indies teammate Andrew Fletcher in the opening over, caught at mid-on for four.

Hilton Cartwright followed suit soon after, skying a short ball from paceman Ben Dwarshuis on 14.

Veteran tweaker Steve O’Keefe then trapped Nick Larkin in front for two, before dismissing Ben Dunk caught in the outfield or 24.

But Maxwell (71* off 47) and Pooran (65 off 26) combined for a remarkable 125-run partnership, guiding the Stars towards a formidable total of 5/193.

The run chase started horrifically, with Sixers opener Jack Edwards and English international James Vince both removed for a duck.

Hughes steadied the ship through the middle overs to ensure his side won the Bash Boost bonus point at the 10-over mark. He combined with Josh Philippe for a 50-run stand before Stars leg-spinner Adam Zampa struck with his first delivery of the match.

Brief cameos from Holder (18 off 11 balls) and West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite (21 off 12 balls) set up a thrilling conclusion, in which the Sixers required 23 runs from the final two overs.

Pace bowler Liam Hatcher (3/33 off four overs) snared two crucial scalps in the penultimate over to put the Stars back in the favourable position.

But Hughes struck three consecutive boundaries off Maxwell’s next over to make the equation four runs required off three balls.

Hughes was then caught on the boundary rope at mid-wicket in yet another twist, meaning the Sixers tailenders had to muster four runs from two balls.

And to everybody’s surprise, the winnings runs came from leg byes, with the ball flying past the wicketkeeper and towards the third man boundary.

It was the first time these two clubs had met since last year’s BBL Final, and the Sixers couldn’t resist rubbing salt into their opponent’s wounds one more time.

TRINIDADIAN’S STUNNING BBL INCEPTION

The Stars were 4/49 when Trinidadian batsman Nicholas Pooran waltzed to the crease in the ninth over, and he could only manage four runs from his first six deliveries.

But Pooran then slapped 42 runs off his next eight balls to completely rattle the defending champions.

He cracked eight sixes and brought up his half-century in just 17 deliveries, making it the fastest fifty by a Stars player in BBL history.

On Channel 7’s coverage, former Australian batsman Brad Hodge called it “one of the best BBL innings you will ever see”.

UMPIRE’S NASTY BLOW

On Boxing Day, umpire Phillip Gillespie showed why several officials have opted to wear helmets and arm guards in the T20 format.

During the 12th over of the run chase, Daniel Christian smashed a delivery from Stars spinner Zahir Khan straight back past the bowler.

Before he even had time to react, the ball struck Gillespie firmly on the hip, and he immediately hit the deck.

Thankfully he was able to continue officiating the match following a two-minute breather.

ANOTHER X-FACTOR BLUNDER

Fans are still unconvinced by the newly-introduced X-Factor innovation, and the Sixers proved why on Saturday.

After spin bowler Ben Manenti conceded five runs off his maiden over, he was subbed out for former Australian seam bowler Gurinder Sandhu.

Unfortunately, Sandhu was pummelled for 28 runs in his only two overs of the match, and the paceman joined a growing list of X-Factor flops.

Barcelona’s iconic striker broke Pele’s record of 643 goals for a single club with a strike against Real Valladolid on Wednesday to take him to 644.

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And Budweiser marked the occasion by gifting bottles to the goalies who had failed to keep Messi at bay. Among those who received a special selection were Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak and Juventus’ Gianluigi Buffon.

Chelsea’s world-record £71 million stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga also received some bottles, looking pleased with himself as he posed for photos. Messi’s 644th goal came in a much-needed 3-0 victory over lowly Valladolid.

With his side already leading 2-0, thanks to first-half efforts from Clement Lenglet and Martin Braithwaite, Messi received a smart backheel from Pedri in the 65th minute.

The 33-year-old took it perfectly into his stride, before slotting an unstoppable left-footed effort beyond the helpless goalkeeper. Messi achieved the feat in his 749th outing for the Blaugrana.

Pele, however, may privately refute the achievement – having claimed to have scored 1,283 goals during his illustrious career.

But the official records show that only 643 came in ‘official’ matches – although it took just 656 of them for Santos to reach the tally.

On Saturday, when his record was equalled, the Brazilian, 80, posted a heartwarming congratulations to Messi.

“When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path,” he wrote.

”Like you, I know what it’s like to love wearing the same shirt every day. Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the place we feel at home.

”Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona.

”Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately will be increasingly rare in football. I admire you very much.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Having been treated like the second driver as Red Bull gushed over young gun Max Verstappen, Ricciardo went to Renault for greener pastures — and a heftier pay packet — as he looked for another path to an elusive world title.

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2019 proved to be a disaster but it was quickly forgotten in 2020.

Ricciardo had a bet with Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul that he would get a podium, the team’s first since 2011.

The Aussie did it twice with two third place finishes, while his teammate Esteban Ocon claimed a second at the penultimate Sakhir Grand Prix.

It was a monumental step forward for the team but Ricciardo had announced he was moving to McLaren in May after the F1 season was postponed, having not driven in the 2020 Renault car.

Some believed it was a call that could have backfired, but if Renault were seen to have had a good 2020, McLaren’s was out of this world.

With Ferrari’s backwards trajectory, McLaren, Racing Point and Renault were in a battle for third in the constructors championship with McLaren claiming the spot for the first time since 2012.

The team is heading in the right direction with McLaren getting an injection of cash for finishing in third, while just before the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix it was announced that MSP Sports Capital was investing $A325 million.

While the decision is looking better and better for Ricciardo and McLaren, former Red Bull star Mark Webber has also piled on a reality check for Renault after losing the man who “carried” the team in 2020, despite bringing two-time champion Fernando Alonso back into the fray.

“I think he drove awesome this year,” Webber said to speedcafe.com of Ricciardo.

“I’ve actually personally spent more time with Daniel than ever this year and it’s been quite good to see (how) he’s enjoyed this year.

“(It is) not (because of) less pressure, but just because he really felt valued at the team and he’s going to feel that again, I think, at McLaren next year. That’s sort of the step away from where he was at Red Bull.

“I think he did what he advertised he was going to do at Renault and that’s what he is.

“He’s an infectious character, he lifted Enstone, they really did a good job, he carried the team effectively this year, made very little errors, and he’ll take that to McLaren.

“So, I think Daniel’s stock is still tremendous – we know that – and he’s good for the sport.

“We need him more towards the front. He’s a guy that needs to be on the podiums; he celebrates success, he celebrates what our sport, in essence, should be about, (which) is the characters, so let’s see.”

Even Abiteboul conceded that Ricciardo made Renault “a much stronger team”.

Ricciardo’s 119-point tally personally outpointed Renault’s entire 2019 haul of 91 points and nearly doubled Ocon’s tally of 62 points.

Two podiums, 14 top-10 finishes and 11 consecutive point scoring races ended a brilliant season for Ricciardo.

But he’s also stepping into the shoes of Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz who formed a bromance with McLaren young gun Lando Norris.

The team know the dynamic will be different but as a seven-time winner in the sport, Ricciardo brings impressive experience with him.

“The most important thing from my point of view is that we preserve the conditions we created to allow that high level of collaboration between Carlos and Lando,” McLaren Racing director Andrea Stella explained.

“But it’s not just about preserving those conditions, we may have to adapt them. Daniel is not Carlos and his relationship with Lando will be different.

“It may be similar, but it will not be the same and we need to be mindful of that and adapt with a view to maintain the standards.”

And off the track, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has painted a rosy picture of the team’s future.

“We’ll run at the cost cap now, so I think we’ll be back being one of the ‘big’ teams,” Brown told Sky Sports with teams running at a budget cap of $A192m ($US145m) per season.

“So it’s great. We’re turning on our wind tunnel project, all of our CapEx (capital expenditure). We have some catching up so do so it’s going to take some time, but I like the journey we’re on.”

A magnificent captain’s knock from Jimmy Peirson (69 off 36) who took the reins when Lynn was ruled out before the match, gave the Heat a sniff in the final over but they fell two runs short of the Adelaide Striker’s modest total of 6-150 to remain at the bottom of the BBL ladder.

The Heat were reeling at 8-68 before Peirson took control, leaving the Heat needing 13 from the final over for an unlikely victory.

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But it was another umpiring blunder and Lynn’s injury that caught the attention.

The Heat were already reeling at 5-58 when umpire Tony Wilds made a howler, giving Tom Cooper out lbw despite the batsman clearly hitting the ball on to his pad when attempting a switch hit.

But the decision – on the back of several other controversial calls – revived calls for the use of DRS in the BBL.

The Strikers defended their total magnificently, taking two wickets from the first eight balls to have the Heat playing catch-up all night.

DRS Debate Heats Up

Another umpiring blunder had the match commentators up in arms, with Shane Warne demanding Cricket Australia pay for the DRS to ensure the Big Bash was taken seriously.

Warne said he felt for umpire Tony Wilds “but we can’t have these decisions and mistakes”.

“What is going on with this umpiring, something has to be done, this is ridiculous,” Warne said after replays showed Cooper had clearly hit the ball.

“Enough is enough. We’ve seen too much of this. If we want to take this competition seriously, you’ve got to have DRS, Cricket Australia has just got to pay for it.

“You just can’t have these decisions.”

Lynn Injury

The Heat suffered a major blow before the first ball was bowled with star batsman Chris Lynn forced out of the match after tweaking his hamstring in the warm-up, with medical staff yet to assess the severity of the strain.

But with the Heat scheduled to play five games in the next two weeks, even a short absence would be a major blow to their campaign.

The injury continues a miserable season for the Heat captain, who was fined for breaching the BBL’s strict COVID-19 protocols while in Canberra.

Young Gun Shines

While Mark Steketee took the limelight with two key wickets for the Heat from consecutive balls, Xavier Bartlett looks to have cemented his place as a strike threat especially with the swing he was able to generate with the white ball at the Gabba.

Bartlett finished with three wickets, trapping Jake Weatherald in front for one in the first over before rattling the stumps of Matt Short (12 off 10) and picking up Jonathan Wells (31 off 26) from a full toss in the final over.

For several years, players and spectators have pleaded for DRS technology to be utilised in the T20 tournament, allowing for on-field umpiring errors to be rectified.

Cricket Australia has resisted introducing the DRS because of the hefty financial repercussions, but those pleas grew in volume after Scorchers bowler Andrew Tye was robbed of a certain wicket in the nation’s capital on Tuesday.

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In the sixth over of the Thunder’s run chase, Thunder opening batsman Usman Khawaja attempted to swat a full delivery from Tye back down the ground, but only managed to edge the ball through to the wicketkeeper.

The Scorchers celebrated enthusiastically, but umpire Simon Lightbody was seemingly the only person on the field who did not hear the snick, and opted not to award the dismissal.

Tye immediately confronted Lightbody, who explained: “I thought the bat hit the ground mate.”

Tye fumed: “How did the bat hit the ground? It was that far off the ground!”

Lightbody replied: “That’s what I thought.”

The Fox Cricket commentary could barely comprehend what they had witnessed, because the edge was easily audible on the stump mics and Khawaja’s bat was nowhere near the ground.

Former Australian batsman Mark Waugh muttered: “Oh my goodness … wow.

“That is regulation … he’s just had a shocker there, unfortunately. That’s just a huge nick. That’s a big nick.”

New Zealand international Colin Munro claimed he heard the edge from the boundary rope.

“I’ve got to really have my ears open at home to hear the Mrs talk to me, but I actually heard that from the boundary at backward square-leg,” Munro cheekily said on Fox Cricket.

The decision sparked fierce backlash on social media, fuelling the argument for the DRS to be brought into the Big Bash.

Cricket icon Adam Gilchrist tweeted: “They only went up because he hit the cover off it.”

Former Australian captain Lisa Sthalekar posted: “Oh dear … DRS please.”

The Daily Telegraph journalist Matt Jones tweeted: “As terrible as that umpiring decision was, I can live with it. I prefer the old days rather than all these reviews.”

Thankfully for the Scorchers, Khawaja was dismissed soon after for 21, spooning a simple catch off Aaron Hardie’s bowling to Jason Behrendorff.

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Earlier this month, Thunder captain Callum Ferguson argued the BBL would fall behind rival T20 tournaments if the DRS was not introduced.

“We certainly like to think we’re in the top couple of T20 tournaments around the world,” Ferguson said on ABC Grandstand. “But on the basis of not having little things like DRS in the place, I feel like we’re falling behind certainly the IPL.

“We’d like to think we’re on level pegging, but we’re not.

“If we’re trying to be as good as we possibly can be, we’ve got to have little things like DRS in.

“It has to come in; it’s just a matter of when.

“I don’t care if they bring it in halfway through the tournament. Let’s just get it in.”

The Thunder eventually chased the 153-run target with three balls to spare. Ferguson plundered an unbeaten half-century, while debutant Oliver Davies contributed a classy 36 off 22 balls.

Tye finished with figures of 0/25 off 3.3 overs.

The Aussie tennis star was on the comeback trail in Brisbane and showed glimpses of promise as he qualified for the final of a local tournament on the weekend — but he didn’t even make it on the court for the decider.

Warming up before the final of the UTR Pro Tennis Series event, Tomic was hampered by a back issue and pulled out of the match, failing to take what would have been at least a small step forward as he looks to rejuvenate his stuttering career.

Followed by reporters while walking shirtless back to his car, Tomic answered “soon” after being asked when he would return.

“Unfortunately I couldn’t play today but hopefully I’ll improve,” he said. “I’ve been trying for a year to come back so I’ll try my best.”

The 28-year-old was a Wimbledon quarter-finalist in 2011 and once ranked as high as 17th in the world. Confident he had the game to win a grand slam, Tomic has since fallen onto the tennis scrap heap as his ranking and desire plummeted.

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He’s now ranked 226th in the world and can’t even get a gig on the main ATP Tour.

Tomic’s appearance at the UTR Pro in his home state of Queensland was supposed to be a stepping stone on his journey back to the big leagues but his long wait will have to continue.

Whether he ever makes it back at all — or even wants to — remains a mystery, especially from a man who has said repeatedly he doesn’t even like tennis and is perfectly happy sitting back counting his millions of dollars.

The Queensland Tennis Centre certainly wasn’t a setting for millionaires this past week. Tomic was forced to supply his own food, drinks and towel, and there was only a maximum of one linesperson allowed to officiate each match.

Not to mention, there was not a ballkid in sight, meaning Tomic had to pick up his own balls.

If ever there was a sign of how far Tomic has fallen, this was it.

He scraped through to the final courtesy of a tough three-set wins over world No. 282 Akira Santillan and fellow Australian Moerani Bouzige, who has an ATP singles ranking of 1872.

The competition was scheduled to return after Christmas due to the late conclusion of the 2019/20 season, but the worsening coronavirus situation in New South Wales has put multiple games in serious doubt.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in New South Wales climbed to 71 this weekend, prompting several states to shut their borders from midnight on Sunday.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced new lockdown restrictions for Greater Sydney as the northern beaches cluster continues to spread.

With six A-League teams currently in New South Wales, Football Australia’s head of leagues Greg O’Rourke said the competition would be prepared to postpone fixtures impacted by coronavirus restrictions.

“The learnings and the collaborative dynamics created from the delivery the 2019/20 season are invaluable to us and on behalf of the thousands of people involved in delivering the last season, I can tell you that we are determined to deliver a great showcase of Australian football once again, both on and off the field,” O’Rourke said.

“We have 218 games to play in the next six months, and our plan is to deliver all of those games.

“Where games are impacted by border closures, we will postpone those matches to be played at the earliest opportunity.

“We are closely tracking and reviewing Government guidance, and building our plans to ensure that we have the flexibility to respond dynamically to any guidance changes. The safety, health and wellbeing of our players, fans and staff is our ultimate priority.”

The 2020/21 season is scheduled to commence on Sunday, December 27th with Western Sydney Wanders hosting newcomers Macarthur FC at Bankwest Stadium.

It was initially hoped the season opener would be held at full capacity, but newly-introduced lockdown restrictions could prevent a packed crowd.

The WNBL finals series is typically comprised of three games, but was reduced to one match due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four-time Olympian Brondello said the “one and done” format could favour the Townsville Fire, who are considered the underdogs ahead of Sunday’s decider.

“The Flyers have got more depth, they are loaded with experienced players,” Brondello said.

“Townsville have the homecourt advantage, but because of Southside’s experience it allows them to block that out a little bit.

“Southside will be the favourites going in, but I would not underestimate Townsville.

“It is one game. Anything can happen. In a series, I always think the best team will win out, but in one game it is whoever is best on the day.”

The Flyers secured the minor premiership after winning 11 of their 13 group stage matches, before trumping the Fire 106-93 in Wednesday’s major semi-final.

However, Townsville bounced back to claim a nailbiting 65-62 victory over the Melbourne Boomers in Friday’s preliminary final.

“Townsville are not going to back down,” Brondello said. “They have some great playmakers in Shyla (Heal) and Lauren (Nicholson). Shyla has been a real bright spot. She works hard and she is in the right system under Shannon.

“I knew she was a good player, but she impresses me more and more each game.

“The Fire have great chemistry and are well coached. I think the grand final will be a lot closer than many think.”

The Flyers have not won a WNBL title since 2012, while the Fire have claimed three championships since 2015.