Alyssa Healy, a pillar of the Australian Women’s cricket team for the last 15 years, announced on Tuesday that she will be retiring from cricket after the upcoming multi-format series against India. Alyssa Healy has also captained the Australian side.
Alyssa Healy, the 35-year-old wicketkeeper, has been a part of two one-day International World Cup triumphs and six successful T20I campaigns. After that, she took over as skipper after Meg Lanning retired in late 2023.
On Tuesday, in a statement, she said that she has very mixed emotions, but the upcoming series with India will be her last series.
She further added that it’s not that she does not want to play for Australia, but she has lost the competitive edge that drives her, so it’s the right time to retire.
Lastly, she said, “I’ll genuinely miss my teammates, singing the team song and walking out to open the batting for Australia.”
Healy has made 3563 runs in ODIs with seven centuries, while 3054 runs in T20S with 1 century. She debuted in 2010. She has also taken 275 dismissals behind the stumps.
Cricket Australia Chief Executive Todd Greenberg “Alyssa is one of the all-time greats of the game and has made an immeasurable contribution both on and off the field over her 15-year career.”
Healy’s status was unmatched in cricket in Australia. She was never defined by her uncle, who was Australia’s wicket-keeping great Ian, or her husband, who is the legendary fast bowler Mitchell Starc.
Healy had already announced her retirement from T20 internationals. She will be playing her last matches against India in February and March. The matches include 1 test and 3 ODISs.
It is interesting to note that she has missed only two test matches for Australia since her debut in January 2011; however, the final test she will be playing will be her 11th test.
Also read: Australian player comments on Babar Azam on-field: fans react
