LONDON (Nationaltimesnews) – Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry has signed up to play in the inaugural edition of English cricket s Hundred — a major coup for the new 100-balls-per-side competition.Perry, recently named the International Cricket Council s women s player of the decade, has agreed to join the Birmingham Phoenix.The 30-year-old, currently top of the one-day international all-rounder rankings, will join a Phoenix side that also features New Zealand s Sophie Devine, who is at the summit of the corresponding T20 rankings.Perry is eager to play in The Hundred, which features eight franchises, all with men s and women s teams.”I can t wait to come over to the UK and get involved in The Hundred this summer,” she said on Thursday.”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.”Phoenix coach Ben Sawyer said: “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.”