The pair, arguably the best all-rounders in women’s football, are on the cusp of a grand final that could prove to define the trajectory of their careers, but they aren’t buying it. “Just trying to stay as present as possible,” as Skiver-Brant put it, and while Perry didn’t give any pre-game media coverage, she may have said the same thing.
For two icons, this pair is clearly reserved in words, but impressive in action. The fact that their paths have been almost parallel over the past few years, especially at this event, only intensifies the rivalry. The stage is set for them to make a big statement and there is a sense that the final will depend on who has the best day – with bat, ball and as a leader.
Skiver-Brant’s absence from action is certain as she continues to nurse a left calf injury that has sidelined her for three matches. Perry, who has a quad problem but has played all of Australia’s matches, could still play after a rigorous training session at Lord’s on Saturday afternoon.
Even if she doesn’t, she will be selected to bat alone because her “T20 World Cup with the bat was truly incredible,” said Sophie Molyneaux, Australia’s captain. “She won a couple of games for us.” Perry won’t captain either, and has never been at international level, but anyone who watched her at half-time against India knows she’s a leader without a title.
As for their batting, try it out for size. As of 2022, Skiver-Brant and Perry are matched pound for pound. In 48 T20I innings over the last four years, Skiver-Brunt has amassed 1,441 runs at an average of 40.04 and a strike rate of 131.5, including nine fifties and a boundary every 5.4 balls. During the same period of time. Perry batted in 47 T20I balls, scoring 1229 at 35.11 at a strike rate of 135.3 with seven fifties and a boundary every 5.8 balls. They are also the same in leagues. Skiver-Brunt was the second-leading hitter in the inaugural WPL in 2023, Perry was the leading hitter in the next edition, and then they tied for first and second in 2025, respectively.
At this World Cup, each of them played a crucial role in their team’s unbeaten run to the final, which speaks volumes about their big-game abilities.
Skiver-Brunt followed up her 22-ball 46* against Sri Lanka and 37-ball 48 against Ireland (where she retired due to injury) with a match-winning 47-ball 75 in the semi-final: an innings that underlined her value to England’s campaign. In the fourth over they were 23 for 3. She overcame a difficult first 15 balls and then combined timing, positioning and power to leave South Africa in her wake.
Perry came with Australia at 54 for 2, chasing their T20 World Cup record of 171 against India to ensure top spot in their group. They needed to score nine runs from 13 overs and Perry’s pinpoint batting, which cut into gaps in the field at will, took them to three runs off the total. She perfected her serves and ensured Australia’s dominance heading into the knockout. It’s hard to believe, but it was only her second fifty in the T20 World Cup after she scored her first in the previous match against Pakistan.
Perry was then asked if her performance against India made Australia favorites and she deftly dodged the question. “I think England are the favorites and the fans are playing great cricket,” she said. “And in Australia they don’t play with scary spiders and snakes.”
Ellis Perry checks her fitness ahead of finals•ICC/Getty Images
That’s as close as you can get to the needle of Perry, who is otherwise the biggest fan of Australian cricket. She fills her Instagram with travel recommendations in a series she calls “The Guide” and from what we can tell she loves cafes, coffee and the countryside. She seems to be trying to avoid the limelight as much as possible when you’re the youngest person to debut for your country at the age of 16, and when you’re a double international. It’s worth remembering that Perry also played for the Australian women’s national football team and scored a goal at the 2011 World Cup. Perry hides things like this, although her teammates say she has a great sense of humor.
Skiver-Brunt is less private as she is a prominent member of the LGBTQI+ community and now advocates for being a professional athlete and a mother at the same time. She seems to easily divide her time between changing nappies, magnetic resonance therapy and leading England. She joked that she wouldn’t have time to prepare for the World Cup final like she did in 2017, when she spent the night before the match watching the nearly three-hour epic Saving Private Ryan. Molineux confirmed Australia “probably won’t be watching it” but will “keep calm” ahead of the final, which is as important to her captaincy as it is to Australia’s legacy.They came into the tournament with a reputation but no recent silverware (the 2023 T20 World Cup was the last one Australia won) and were considered an unknown quantity but appear stronger than ever. Australia, with six T20 World Cup titles, has no need to prove its worth. Perry, the first player to score 1000 T20I runs and take 100 wickets and was named the Cricinfo player of the century in women’s cricket, did not do so either. But it feels like there is a desire to continue doing so, especially given what Molineux expects to be an “incredible challenge” against England at home.
So for Skiver-Brant it means challenging an old enemy, but also considering the role she can play in contextualizing cricket within the wider sporting narrative. “We also have a chance to be part of the women’s sports movement in the country,” she said.
Nat Skiver-Brunt prepares for the final•ICC/Getty Images
Women’s cricket in England has taken the baton from the other two major sports after the Lionesses won back-to-back European Championships and the Red Roses won the Rugby World Cup. Success at the T20 World Cup ended with a hat-trick. Perhaps that’s why Skiver-Brant’s wife, Katherine, reminded her after the semifinals that what her team does is “more than you think,” because this tournament is really about the ripple effect that will continue no matter who wins.
England and Skiver-Brant have all the makings of a fairytale: they have never lost a World Cup at home and the night they won their last championship in 2017 was the same night Catherine asked Nat to be her partner. Now that Nat is leading the team, Catherine and their son Theo are their biggest fans.
Will Perry’s dominance trump Skiver-Brant’s story? The answer may lie in what this T20 World Cup decides.
Firdose Munda is Cricinfo’s senior Africa and women’s cricket correspondent.