Alyssa Healy: Australian cricket legend Alyssa Healy has announced her retirement from all formats of the game. Healy's retirement, coming before this year's Women's T20 World Cup, has dealt a major blow to Australian cricket and its fans. She has stated that she will retire after March 2026. The 35-year-old will play her final international match against India.
35-year-old wicketkeeper-batter announced the news on the Willow Talk podcast on January 12. Healy said in her statement that the upcoming series against India would be her last for Australia. "I still have the passion to play for Australia, but I've lost that competitive edge that has driven me to play cricket from the very beginning," Healy said. "So I feel like now is the right time to retire."
"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.
"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 was appointed full-time captain in 2023, replacing Meg Lanning. She will not play in the T20I matches against India, allowing Australia to begin preparations for the T20 World Cup later in the year. She will play in the ODI series and then conclude her career with a day-night Test match in Perth from March 6-9. This will be her 11th Test match. The Australian team will be seen playing under a new captain in the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup.
There is no certain replacement for Healy as captain across formats. Tahlia McGrath is the current vice-captain, while Ashleigh Gardner and Phoebe Litchfield have been touted as potential candidates.
Alyssa Healy made her debut for Australia in February 2010 at the age of 19. She has scored over 3563 runs in 123 ODIs. In 162 T20Is, she has scored 3054 runs at an average of 25.45, with her career-best score being an unbeaten 148 runs. This is the highest individual score by any player from a full member team. She is the second most capped women's player for Australia in T20Is. She has won the Women's T20 World Cup in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2023, and the ODI World Cup in 2013 and 2022.
Healy also received the Belinda Clark Award in 2019 and has been named ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year twice. She was also part of the Australian team that won the gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
