Healy's path to World Cup set, will play into summer

Alyssa Healy has ruled out making this year's ODI World Cup a farewell party, revealing recent injuries could persuade her to push back any retirement plans.
Healy's path back to cricket will be confirmed on Tuesday, with the wicketkeeper to be named as part of an Australia A squad to face India A in Queensland in August.
The matches will mark the Australian captain's first since the Ashes success at the start of the year, when she missed games with a stress fracture in her foot and did not keep wicket in others.
Healy has endured a difficult year fitness-wise, also missing the finals of last year's T20 World Cup with the foot injury and having a knee issue end her WBBL season early.
The 35-year-old then sat out ODIs in New Zealand and the WPL in India as a result of her injuries, but said she has been fit and able to play since March.
Healy often jokes she has decided to retire from cricket five or six times before opting against it, and revealed earlier this year she had an ideal exit scenario.
But that will not be after the October-November World Cup, with a hunger for cricket while injured meaning her yet-to-be-revealed plans could be pushed back.
"It's probably shifted a little bit," Healy told AAP.
"It's made me realise that I still want to do a little bit more than maybe what I thought.
"At the same time, sometimes there's stuff in life that are a little bit more important than pulling on the green and gold. So it's just a constant reassess.
"But at the moment I definitely want to play a home summer. I want to bring the World Cup home, but also to play against India (in February-March)."
Tuesday marks 100 days until Australia's opening World Cup clash against New Zealand, with the India tournament presenting a real challenge for the defending champions.
Australia are gunning to be the first side to win back-to-back in the tournament in almost 40 years, with the team having faced a large large transition since 2022.
Forming a pathway to the ODI World Cup was part of Healy's pitch when she took over the captaincy when Meg Lanning retired in 2023.
"That was one of my goals, putting a timeline on it and saying this is where I could take this group, even not knowing what I was going to do personally," Healy said.
"It definitely was a big focus of mine, to get the group to a place to compete at this World Cup, and win the trophy.
"It's not so much about the captaincy (driving me), or ticking one more box.
"It's just that I want to win a World Cup for Australia, and no one has gone back-to-back, which is a real motivator."
Healy has not kept wicket in a match since January, but is confident the three Australia A series and subsequent ODIs in India will have her fit for up to nine World Cup matches in 32 days.
"According to science, the ODI World Cups is one of the heaviest loads that we go through as cricketers," Healy said
"My aim is to play every game of that World Cup. So to make sure I can do that's important."
Alyssa Healy has ruled out making this year's ODI World Cup a farewell party, revealing recent injuries could persuade her to push back any retirement plans.
Healy's path back to cricket will be confirmed on Tuesday, with the wicketkeeper to be named as part of an Australia A squad to face India A in Queensland in August.
The matches will mark the Australian captain's first since the Ashes success at the start of the year, when she missed games with a stress fracture in her foot and did not keep wicket in others.
Healy has endured a difficult year fitness-wise, also missing the finals of last year's T20 World Cup with the foot injury and having a knee issue end her WBBL season early.
The 35-year-old then sat out ODIs in New Zealand and the WPL in India as a result of her injuries, but said she has been fit and able to play since March.
Healy often jokes she has decided to retire from cricket five or six times before opting against it, and revealed earlier this year she had an ideal exit scenario.
But that will not be after the October-November World Cup, with a hunger for cricket while injured meaning her yet-to-be-revealed plans could be pushed back.
"It's probably shifted a little bit," Healy told AAP.
"It's made me realise that I still want to do a little bit more than maybe what I thought.
"At the same time, sometimes there's stuff in life that are a little bit more important than pulling on the green and gold. So it's just a constant reassess.
"But at the moment I definitely want to play a home summer. I want to bring the World Cup home, but also to play against India (in February-March)."
Tuesday marks 100 days until Australia's opening World Cup clash against New Zealand, with the India tournament presenting a real challenge for the defending champions.
Australia are gunning to be the first side to win back-to-back in the tournament in almost 40 years, with the team having faced a large large transition since 2022.
Forming a pathway to the ODI World Cup was part of Healy's pitch when she took over the captaincy when Meg Lanning retired in 2023.
"That was one of my goals, putting a timeline on it and saying this is where I could take this group, even not knowing what I was going to do personally," Healy said.
"It definitely was a big focus of mine, to get the group to a place to compete at this World Cup, and win the trophy.
"It's not so much about the captaincy (driving me), or ticking one more box.
"It's just that I want to win a World Cup for Australia, and no one has gone back-to-back, which is a real motivator."
Healy has not kept wicket in a match since January, but is confident the three Australia A series and subsequent ODIs in India will have her fit for up to nine World Cup matches in 32 days.
"According to science, the ODI World Cups is one of the heaviest loads that we go through as cricketers," Healy said
"My aim is to play every game of that World Cup. So to make sure I can do that's important."
Alyssa Healy has ruled out making this year's ODI World Cup a farewell party, revealing recent injuries could persuade her to push back any retirement plans.
Healy's path back to cricket will be confirmed on Tuesday, with the wicketkeeper to be named as part of an Australia A squad to face India A in Queensland in August.
The matches will mark the Australian captain's first since the Ashes success at the start of the year, when she missed games with a stress fracture in her foot and did not keep wicket in others.
Healy has endured a difficult year fitness-wise, also missing the finals of last year's T20 World Cup with the foot injury and having a knee issue end her WBBL season early.
The 35-year-old then sat out ODIs in New Zealand and the WPL in India as a result of her injuries, but said she has been fit and able to play since March.
Healy often jokes she has decided to retire from cricket five or six times before opting against it, and revealed earlier this year she had an ideal exit scenario.
But that will not be after the October-November World Cup, with a hunger for cricket while injured meaning her yet-to-be-revealed plans could be pushed back.
"It's probably shifted a little bit," Healy told AAP.
"It's made me realise that I still want to do a little bit more than maybe what I thought.
"At the same time, sometimes there's stuff in life that are a little bit more important than pulling on the green and gold. So it's just a constant reassess.
"But at the moment I definitely want to play a home summer. I want to bring the World Cup home, but also to play against India (in February-March)."
Tuesday marks 100 days until Australia's opening World Cup clash against New Zealand, with the India tournament presenting a real challenge for the defending champions.
Australia are gunning to be the first side to win back-to-back in the tournament in almost 40 years, with the team having faced a large large transition since 2022.
Forming a pathway to the ODI World Cup was part of Healy's pitch when she took over the captaincy when Meg Lanning retired in 2023.
"That was one of my goals, putting a timeline on it and saying this is where I could take this group, even not knowing what I was going to do personally," Healy said.
"It definitely was a big focus of mine, to get the group to a place to compete at this World Cup, and win the trophy.
"It's not so much about the captaincy (driving me), or ticking one more box.
"It's just that I want to win a World Cup for Australia, and no one has gone back-to-back, which is a real motivator."
Healy has not kept wicket in a match since January, but is confident the three Australia A series and subsequent ODIs in India will have her fit for up to nine World Cup matches in 32 days.
"According to science, the ODI World Cups is one of the heaviest loads that we go through as cricketers," Healy said
"My aim is to play every game of that World Cup. So to make sure I can do that's important."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

West Australian

10 minutes ago

• West Australian

Veterans not done yet: Hazlewood and Lyon reject Johnson's Ashes exit remarks in The Nightly

Nathan Lyon says the ageing members of the Australian team are not waiting around for a grand send-off during the Ashes this summer, while Josh Hazlewood has defended his decision to return to the IPL instead of beginning his World Test Championship (WTC) preparation early, after the pair were among those criticised by Mitchell Johnson last week. Writing for The Sunday Times and The Nightly, Johnson wrote the Australian selectors faced tough decisions regarding the veterans in the team following the WTC loss to South Africa at Lord's earlier this month. 'Our successful 'big four' bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon can't be taken for granted as a lock going forward either,' Johnson wrote. 'We've seen concerns about Hazlewood's fitness in recent years, and his decision to prioritise returning to the delayed Indian Premier League over his national team preparations raised eyebrows. Lyon didn't look his best on day three either. 'If veteran players are sticking around just for the Ashes as a send-off, it does beg the question of whether that's the right mindset. It's crucial that we embrace the future and build confidence in selecting our next Test players.' Hazlewood, 34, has a career bowling average of 24.7 over 73 Tests and took 35 wickets at an average of 13.6 in 2024. He took 2-85 at Lord's and was part of a 59-run tenth wicket stand with Mitchell Starc that put Australia in a much-stronger position ahead of South Africa's second dig after Australia's batters failed in both innings. Speaking in Bridgetown ahead of the first Test against the West Indies on Wednesday, Hazlewood explained why he decided to return to the IPL in late May after it was halted following air strikes between India and Pakistan. 'It seemed far and away the best place to get ready for any type of cricket that was coming up,' he said. 'The weather was definitely a factor as well. Just getting over there and playing intense competition like that — it's hard to replicate in training. 'In Sydney, it was raining and I had literally nowhere to bowl. I got to Brisbane for three or four days and it was very wet. We were lucky to get on. I just thought the best place to bowl was India. We were still in the competition, we were going to play semis, and I was going to be there for 10 days.' Lyon, now aged 37, denied he had his sights set on retiring after the home Ashes series. He has a bowling average of 30.33 for the 553 wickets he has taken across 137 Tests. In 2024 he had an average of 22.69 over nine Tests, taking 33 wickets. 'Regarding 'Johnno', there's nothing really to be said there,' Lyon said. 'We never take any of our positions for granted. There's that much competition within the squad … and guys putting the senior players under pressure. 'There's no one planning a farewell tour or anything like that. I don't see why the guys can't keep going for a number of years. They're only doing that for the betterment of Australian cricket. We want to play in games, we want to win games. 'That (South Africa loss) does still sting a fair bit, to be honest with you. 'We're really proud of the last two years that we've had to reach the final. Everyone says how hard finals are to reach, but we got outplayed. And that's the disappointing part of it — a tough pill to swallow.' The selectors did heed Johnson's analysis that Marnus Labuschagne had run out of chances, dropping the Queenslander for Sam Konstas for the upcoming three-Test series.

Sydney Morning Herald

24 minutes ago

• Sydney Morning Herald

First look at Barbados pitch as Australia prepare for uncertain West Indies surfaces

Australia nearly reached parity, making 406, before bowling the West Indies out for 148 and chasing down the runs required for victory with three wickets to spare. 'Thirteen years ago this was a real old-fashioned, traditional cricket wicket with big runs in the first innings and a hard-fought contest in the second innings,' Lyon said ahead of Australia's first match of a new World Test Championship cycle. 'My feeling is that this wicket is probably going to be pretty similar to that – pretty flat over the first couple of days, reverse swing and spin bowling hopefully comes into it. It's going to be a war of attrition. 'I think it's a real live option to play two spinners here.' In the 2008 Barbados Test, Australia made 251 batting first, then declared on 5-439 in the second innings courtesy of centuries from Phil Jaques (108) and Simon Katich (157). Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood averaged just eight runs a wicket on Australia's last West Indies tour in 2015, which featured matches in Dominica and Kingston. Australia's Tests on this tour are in Barbados (June 25 to 29), Grenada (July 3 to 7) and Jamaica (July 12-16), the last of which is a pink-ball fixture under lights. 'Traditionally, Barbados is probably the best wicket to bat on, and the scores are pretty good in recent history,' Hazlewood said. 'The other ones [in Grenada and Kingston] are a bit of luck of the draw. Typically, they're slower and dry.' Loading Lyon added: 'In Grenada I'm pretty sure no one in the touring squad has actually ever been to the island, so we don't know what's going on. Then a pink Test with the Dukes ball … I'm not sure what that's going to be like.' Kuhnemann is eager to get another match for Australia after his success in Sri Lanka earlier this year. 'I think we've got all bases covered for whatever pitch we get,' he said. 'If it looks like it's going to spin and I play a role, then I'm ready to go.' Australia's batting line-up is essentially settled. The only uncertainty is the exact order Khawaja, Konstas, Josh Inglis, Green, Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey will bat in, but that order would make sense. There had been speculation Head might open, like he has on the subcontinent before, but he quashed that on Sunday. 'I think with Sam and Uzzie there [at the top of the order] that'd be pretty unlikely,' Head said. 'I wouldn't see that being a case at the moment.'

The Age

24 minutes ago

• The Age

First look at Barbados pitch as Australia prepare for uncertain West Indies surfaces

Australia nearly reached parity, making 406, before bowling the West Indies out for 148 and chasing down the runs required for victory with three wickets to spare. 'Thirteen years ago this was a real old-fashioned, traditional cricket wicket with big runs in the first innings and a hard-fought contest in the second innings,' Lyon said ahead of Australia's first match of a new World Test Championship cycle. 'My feeling is that this wicket is probably going to be pretty similar to that – pretty flat over the first couple of days, reverse swing and spin bowling hopefully comes into it. It's going to be a war of attrition. 'I think it's a real live option to play two spinners here.' In the 2008 Barbados Test, Australia made 251 batting first, then declared on 5-439 in the second innings courtesy of centuries from Phil Jaques (108) and Simon Katich (157). Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood averaged just eight runs a wicket on Australia's last West Indies tour in 2015, which featured matches in Dominica and Kingston. Australia's Tests on this tour are in Barbados (June 25 to 29), Grenada (July 3 to 7) and Jamaica (July 12-16), the last of which is a pink-ball fixture under lights. 'Traditionally, Barbados is probably the best wicket to bat on, and the scores are pretty good in recent history,' Hazlewood said. 'The other ones [in Grenada and Kingston] are a bit of luck of the draw. Typically, they're slower and dry.' Loading Lyon added: 'In Grenada I'm pretty sure no one in the touring squad has actually ever been to the island, so we don't know what's going on. Then a pink Test with the Dukes ball … I'm not sure what that's going to be like.' Kuhnemann is eager to get another match for Australia after his success in Sri Lanka earlier this year. 'I think we've got all bases covered for whatever pitch we get,' he said. 'If it looks like it's going to spin and I play a role, then I'm ready to go.' Australia's batting line-up is essentially settled. The only uncertainty is the exact order Khawaja, Konstas, Josh Inglis, Green, Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey will bat in, but that order would make sense. There had been speculation Head might open, like he has on the subcontinent before, but he quashed that on Sunday. 'I think with Sam and Uzzie there [at the top of the order] that'd be pretty unlikely,' Head said. 'I wouldn't see that being a case at the moment.'