Ellyse Perry’s statement performance leads the Sydney Sixers to victory over the Brisbane Heat in the WBBL opener

Ellyse Perry has made an early statement to regain an Australian Twenty20 spot, playing with bat and ball in the Sydney Sixers’ WBBL inaugural win over Brisbane.

Perry chased the Heat’s 8-141 for the win, hitting 55 balls from 48 to help the Sixers earn the one-ball, four-wicket win Thursday night in Mackay.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Ellyse Perry stars for the Sixers

Watch, stream and catch up with Australia’s home of cricket on 7plus >>

It came after the all-rounder won 2-27 from her four overs with the ball and appeared to bowl with more control than in previous summers after returning from a back injury.

Perry has not played a T20 international for Australia since last October after missing out on short-format selection at last summer’s Ashes and the Commonwealth Games.

However, Rachael Haynes’ retirement and Meg Lanning’s personal furlough have opened the door to a potential return, with several players vying for the top spots.

And Perry laid the first marker.

With her goal tally being the problem in T20 cricket previously, Perry hit seven fours in her innings against the Heat and scored a point to chase the ball, just as she had recently done in the Hundred competition.

At one point, she crunched a nice cover drive for four in front of Courtney Sippel before playing her signature cut shot to the next ball to find the rope past the point.

The right-hander brought up her 50 of 42 balls when she drew Nicola Hancock for four before being caught trying to sweep Jess Jonassen (2-21).

Perry shared a 93-run fourth-wicket stand with Erin Burns, who scored 50-of-37 balls.

The Sixers faltered as the pair both fell before Maitlan Brown saved the Sixers’ night with a first-ball six against Georgia Voll when Sydney needed five balls from the last two.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Brown said.

“I came down the pitch before she even released it… and it paid off.”

Earlier, Georgia Redmayne, a national team contender, impressed at the top of the order for the Heat.

The left-hander came off the field with a glorious drive from Lauren Cheatle and worked her way up to 49 before hitting Cheatle square on the back square leg.

Redmayne backed it up with the gloves too, coming up with a smart stomp at the wickets to quickly remove Jess Kerr (2-17) to remove Ash Gardner when she was overbalanced to two.

Teenage star Voll hit 32 for the heat before Brown dented Brisbane’s late attack with numbers 3-20 with the ball.