Alyssa Healy in big retirement backflip as Aussie captain makes major career call
Alyssa Healy says she's backflipped on the idea of retirement after revealing plans to play on well beyond this year's Women's ODI World Cup. The Aussie captain is set to return from a frustrating injury spell for Australia A in matches against India A this August, having been largely relegated to the role of spectator in 2025 while her husband and fellow cricket star Mitchell Starc starred for the men's side.
The matches in August will mark Healy's first games since Australia's successful Ashes campaign at the start of the year, when she was sidelined with a stress fracture in her foot. The injury meant the Aussie wicketkeeper missed some games or didn't feature behind the stumps in others.
It continued an injury-plagued 12 months for the 35-year-old, who also missed the finals of last year's T20 World Cup with the foot problem and saw her WBBL season ended prematurely with a separate knee issue. Healy then sat out ODIs in New Zealand and the WPL in India as a result of her injuries, but returned to fitness in March.
And after admitting that she's joked about hanging up the gloves several times already, Healy says the break from the game has led to a re-think about her retirement plans. Healy previously suggested that this year's ODI World Cup could be her international swansong but says the extended break from the sport has only left her hungrier to achieve more.
"It's probably shifted a little bit," Healy told AAP about her retirement plans. "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)." Healy's Aussies are aiming to become the first side to win back-to-back ODI World Cups in almost 40 years, with the tournament kicking off in India in just over 100 days.
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The defending champs have undergone a period of transition since legendary former Aussie captain Meg Lanning's retirement in 2022. Lanning oversaw a thoroughly dominant period in Australian cricket and ever since taking over the captaincy, Healy admits she's had one eye fixed on this year's World Cup to try and continue the domination.
"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 Australia A matches, followed by an ODI series in India will have her match-fit for as many as nine World Cup matches in 32 days.
Despite a lengthy absence from cricket, Healy has still kept busy in the sport through various overseas commentary roles and her regular spot on the Willow Talk cricket podcast. Healy and Starc were also among dozens of Aussies who flew home from India when the IPL was suspended in May due to tensions with neighbouring Pakistan.
with AAP
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