CANBERRA: Australia women’s captain Alyssa Healy has announced she will retire from international cricket following the upcoming multi-format series against India, bringing an end to a distinguished 15-year career. The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has been a cornerstone of Australia’s dominance, playing a key role in two ODI World Cup victories and six T20 World Cup triumphs. She took over the captaincy in late 2023 after Meg Lanning’s retirement.
“It’s with mixed emotions that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia,” Healy said in a statement on Tuesday. “I still love playing for Australia, but I feel I’ve lost some of the competitive edge that has driven me throughout my career, and the time feels right to step away.”“I’ll truly miss my teammates, singing the team song and walking out to open the batting for Australia,” she added.
Healy made her international debut in 2010 and went on to score 3,563 runs in one-day internationals, including seven centuries, and 3,054 runs in T20 internationals. Behind the stumps, she effected 275 dismissals, underlining her value as one of the finest wicketkeepers of her era.Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg described her as “one of the all-time greats of the game” who made an “immeasurable contribution on and off the field”.
Throughout her career, Healy carved out her own identity, never defined by her famous uncle, former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy, or by her husband, fast bowler Mitchell Starc.Having already retired from T20 internationals, Healy will play her final matches for Australia in three ODIs and a one-off Test against India in February and March.
Despite being a regular fixture in the side since her debut, her final appearance will mark just her 11th Test, reflecting the limited opportunities in the longest format during a career that has coincided with the rapid growth of women’s cricket.
