Australia Captain Alyssa Healy To Retire After Upcoming India Series

Sydney: Alyssa Healy, the mainstay and later captain of Australia’s dominant women’s cricket team for 15 years, has announced that she will retire from the game after the upcoming multi-format series against India.

The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was part of two one-day international World Cup victories and six successful T20 World Cup campaigns before taking over as captain following Meg Lanning’s retirement in late 2023.

“I have mixed feelings that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia,” he said on Tuesday.

“I’m still passionate about playing in Australia, but I’ve somehow lost the competitive edge that motivated me from the beginning, so it’s time to put this to rest.

“I will really miss my teammates, singing the team song and going out to open the batting for Australia.”

Healy made his Australia debut in 2010 and has scored 3,563 runs for his country in one-day internationals with seven centuries and 3,054 runs with a single hundred in the Twenty20s, while also dismissing 275 runs.

As a sign of her status in Australia, Healy has never been defined by her relationship with her uncle, Australian great Ian, or her husband, Test pacer Mitchell Starc.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led commemorations following his announcement.

“Alyssa Healy is a true legend of Australian cricket. As a batsman, wicketkeeper and captain, she was one of the brightest stars of the golden age,” he said in a statement.

“Yet Alyssa’s influence and example off the field was equally important. She helped support and grow women’s cricket and inspired a new generation along the way.”

Healy had already announced his retirement from T20 international competitions and will play his final matches for Australia in three ODIs and a single test against India in February and March.

Huge strides have been made in women’s cricket during Healy’s career, but her final match will be only her 11th test, although she has only missed two matches for Australia since her debut in January 2011.