Perry steps up to lead generation next

She bats, she bowls and now Ellyse Perry captains as well.

The gun Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars allrounder has been named skipper of the Governor-General’s XI to face the touring South Africans in November, her first major taste of captaincy at international level.

Inspired by the traditional Prime Minister's XI match, the Governor-General’s XI clash pits some of the best young female players in the country against a touring side and was played for the first time last summer, a clash against India that was ruined by rain.

This summer's contest against South Africa at Drummoyne Oval on November 13 will give Perry an early look at the tourists ahead of their five-match One-Day International Series later in the month, which continues the build-up to the ICC Women's World Cup in the UK next year.

And while Perry thrived as captain with the Sydney Sixers in the Women's Big Bash League last season, a 50-over match against an international opponent will be a new challenge for her as a skipper.

"I did quite a lot (of captaincy) when I was playing junior cricket, but not really since I've played senior cricket," Perry told cricket.com.au.

"I really enjoyed the experience last year with the Sixers and in terms of a new experience and an opportunity opening up, it was really good.

"I think with the nature of the game, you're quite aware of field settings (anyway). And being a bowler you've got to have a handle on what fields you want to set."

The Governor-General’s XI, featuring the next generation of stars as well as some more established players, will be selected by Cricket Australia in consultation with the Governor-General Peter Cosgrove and will be announced in the lead up to the match.

Before the series against South Africa, the Southern Stars will head to Sri Lanka on Monday for their first ever bilateral series against the island nation.

The four ODIs and one T20, with the first three 50-over matches counting towards the ICC Women’s Championship, will be Australia's first competitive matches since their heart-breaking defeat at the ICC World T20 in April.

Perry says the side has responded well to their shock loss in the World T20 final to the West Indies, which ended a run of three consecutive tournament victories.

"We're absolutely looking forward to getting out there and playing some matches," she said.

"We've had a really great couple of months of preparation since the World Cup and spent a lot of time together up at the NCC in Brisbane and back home in our states.

"Given the level of training and the way we've been working since the World Cup ... it'll be nice to really test that out and play some competitive matches."

The first three ODIs against Sri Lanka will count towards the

Australia currently sit on top of the ICC Women’s Championship ahead of the West Indies, England and New Zealand, with the top four teams gaining automatic qualification to next year’s World Cup.