Alyssa Healy, one of Australia’s finest-ever cricketers, has announced that she will retire from international cricket after the upcoming home series against India in March.
The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batter will lead Australia one final time in the three ODIs and the one-off women’s Test in Perth. However, Healy will not feature in the T20I leg of the series, as she will also miss the T20 World Cup in the UK later this year.
“It's with mixed emotions that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia," Healy said in a statement.
"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."
Healy has played a pivotal role in Australia’s dominance over the past decade, winning eight world titles — six in the T20 format and two in one-day cricket. However, the semifinal loss to the eventual champions at last year’s ODI World Cup was a disappointing moment for both Healy and the team.
Across formats, the wicketkeeper-batter has represented Australia in 10 Tests, 123 ODIs and 162 T20 Internationals. She has scored 489 Test runs at an average of 30.56, amassed 3,563 ODI runs at 35.98 with seven centuries, and struck 3,054 runs in T20Is at 25.45, including one hundred.
"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," Healy said.
Speaking on a podcast on Tuesday, Healy opened up about the mental toll injuries have taken on her in recent years.
"A few injuries, (I had) to dive into the well a couple of times and that well was getting less and less full of water, so it was getting harder to dive back in there.
"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," said the cricketer, who is married to Australia pacer Mitchell Starc.
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg hailed Healy as one of the greatest players the game has seen.
"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.
"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," Greenberg said.