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Australia’s women’s team captain Alyssa Healy has made the difficult confession that she’s lost her competitive edge as she announced she will retire from cricket in March.
The wicketkeeper-batter has been playing for Australia for 15 years after making her debut as a teenager.
‘It’s with mixed emotions that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia,’ said Healy.
‘I’m still passionate about playing for Australia, but I’ve somewhat lost that competitive edge that’s kept me driven since the start, so the time feels right to call it a day.
‘Knowing I won’t be going to the T20 World Cup this year and the limited preparation time the team has, I won’t be part of the T20s against India, but I’m excited to have the opportunity to finish my career and captain the ODI and Test side at home against India – one of the biggest series on the calendar for us.
‘I’ll genuinely miss my teammates, singing the team song and walking out to open the batting for Australia. Representing my country has been an incredible honour and I’m grateful for one last series in the green and gold.’
Alyssa Healy has been described as ‘one of the all-time greats of the game’ after announcing her retirement from cricket
The Aussie skipper is pictured celebrating with the team after winning the Ashes Test against England at the MCG last February
Healy (pictured with husband Mitchell Starc) has played close to 300 matches for her country
The series with India features three T20s in Sydney (February 15), Canberra (February 19) and Adelaide (February 21) followed by ODIs in Brisbane (February 24) and Hobart (February 27 and March 1). It concludes with a Test at the WACA in Perth from March 6 to 9.
If she plays five of the matches she will reach 300 internationals.
No cricketer, male or female, has taken more catches as a wicketkeeper than Healy, who broke the previous record with her 92nd dismissal in September 2020.
She was named the International Cricket Council’s T20I player of the year in 2018 and 2019, won the Belinda Clark Award as Australia’s best women’s player in 2019, and has a top score of 170 in one-day internationals.
Healy has won eight World Cups – along with the record for the highest score in a World Cup final – led Australia to a sweep of England in last year’s Ashes and won a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
‘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,’ said Todd Greenberg, Cricket Australia CEO.
‘On behalf of Australian Cricket, I’d like to thank Alyssa and congratulate her on an incredible career that has inspired so many and changed the game for the better.
‘We look forward to celebrating her achievements throughout the series against India.’
