Alyssa Healy Retires: India Series to be Aussie Captain's Final Bow

The 35-year-old announced the news on the Willow Talk podcast.

"Officially coming out today, that you hear this, actually retiring from cricket at the end of the Indian series. Not an easy decision but had to be made at some point," said Healy on the Willow Talk podcast.

Healy said that the decision had been a long time coming and that the last few years have been mentally exhausting for her, with injuries being one of the primary challenges.

"It's been a long time coming. The last few years has been probably more mentally draining than anything else. A few injuries. I've got to dive into the well, and the well is getting less and less full of water. Getting harder to dive back in there," she said further.

The right-handed wicketkeeper-batter has played 10 Test matches for Australia, scoring 489 runs at an average of 30.56, with a highest score of 99, including three half-centuries, along with 22 catches and 2 stumpings.

In ODIs, she has featured in 123 matches, amassing 3,563 runs at an average of 35.98 and a strike rate of 99.72, with a highest score of 170, including seven centuries and 18 fifties, while also taking 85 catches and 38 stumpings as a wicketkeeper.

In T20Is, Healy has played 162 matches, scoring 3,054 runs at an average of 25.45 and a strike rate of 129.79, with a highest score of 148 not out, including one century and 17 half-centuries, alongside 65 catches and 63 stumpings.

In the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), she has appeared in 129 matches, scoring 3,125 runs at an average of 25.82 and a strike rate of 133.71, with a top score of 112 not out, including five centuries and 15 fifties, while taking 60 catches and 45 stumpings.

India will tour Australia in February-March for a three-match T20I series, a three-match ODI series, and a one-off Test series. Healy won't play in the T20I leg of the India series so Australia can start building towards the T20 World Cup later in the year, but will feature in the ODIs before finishing her career with the one-off Test at the WACA from March 6-9.

"At the end of the day, to have an opportunity to finish at home against India, which is on the calendar one of the biggest series for us. I thought that would be a really cool way to finish with some of my team-mates and some family around as well. It would've been nice to do it in India with a World Cup, but doing it at home will be something special," Healy said while announcing her retirement. There might be a little bit of change within that series [against India] leading into the World Cup, and some leadership stuff. But for me, the opportunity to play at home, still captain the team in that series is going to be really special," Healy said

"I never wanted to announce it, wanted to get to the end of the Test match [against India, starting March 6 in Perth], but with me not going into the T20 World Cup, it's forced a little bit of change. Not a lot of T20 cricket leading into that for the girls, so it's probably the place for me to make a decision on that format and give the girls an opportunity to prepare for that World Cup knowing that I'm not going to be there, it has forced an announcement of sorts, but it has given me some peace as well because I've known this in the back of my mind for probably six months. But to finally say it and get it out there, would be ideal for everyone to just clap it and move on," Healy said further.

"I've always felt like I've had a competitive edge in that I want to compete, I want to win and I want to challenge myself on the park. I've felt as I've got a little bit older, I've not necessarily lost all of it, but I've lost some of that. I think the WBBL [last year] was probably a bit of a wake-up call. Not being able to hold the bat with two hands didn't help either but waking up and going, 'just another day of cricket', really surprised myself because I still thought I loved playing the game," the Aussie cricketer said.

Healy is an eight-time World Cup winner. She won the Women's T20 World Cup in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023 and the ODI World Cup in 2013 and 2022.

- ANI