Australia captain Alyssa Healy, who is regarded among the best players ever in women’s cricket, will end her 15-year international career in March after a series against India.
The 35-year-old Healy has scored more than 7,000 runs across all three international formats and completed 275 dismissals since making her debut for Australia in 2010.
The wicketkeeper-batter has won eight World Cup titles — six in the T20 format and two in the ODI format. She became Australia captain after Meg Lanning retired in late 2023.
Healy’s records include the highest individual score in an ODI World Cup final (170 against England in 2022), most runs in a T20 international (148 not out against Sri Lanka in 2019) and most dismissals in T20 internationals by a woman or man (126).
“It’s with mixed emotions that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia,” she said in a statement announcing her retirement Tuesday. “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 said she’s been ready to retire for about three months.
“Every contest I wanted to be a part of and wanted to compete, and it’s probably drained me a bit more over the years,” Healy was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press. “The opportunity to finish at home is something I really wanted to do.”
The series with India features three T20s from Feb. 15-21, followed by three one-day internationals from Feb. 24-March 1 and finishing with a test in Perth from March 6-9.
If she plays five of the matches she will reach 300 internationals.
Healy has also become a popular commentator on TV broadcasts over the past several years, including during the recent men’s Ashes series. She is married to Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc and is the niece of former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said Alyssa Healy “is one of the all-time greats of the game and has made an immeasurable contribution both on and off the field . . . We look forward to celebrating her achievements throughout the series against India.”
In interviews Tuesday, Healy was non-committal about her immediate plans in retirement from international cricket.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a lot of opportunities outside of the game in the last 12 to 18 months,” she said. “But I still feel like I can contribute to the game … it’s given me so much and I still owe a lot to cricket.”
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket