The record-breaking wicketkeeper-batsman bowed out of the match after the ODI and Test series against India in March.
Alyssa Healy, who has been a mainstay of Australia’s leading women’s cricket team for 15 years and is currently its captain, has announced that she will retire after the upcoming multi-format series against India.
“I have mixed feelings knowing that the upcoming India series will be my last series in Australia,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was instrumental in two One Day International (ODI) World Cup wins and six T20 World Cup successes before taking over as captain after Meg Lanning’s retirement in late 2023.
“While I still have a passion for playing for Australia, I feel it is the right time to call it a day as I have lost somewhat of the competitiveness that has driven me from the beginning,” said the great of modern women’s cricket.
“I really miss singing the team song with my teammates and going out as the first batsman for Australia.”
Healy made his Australian debut in 2010 and went on to score 3,563 runs for his country with seven centuries and 3,054 runs in the Twenty20, with 275 dismissals.
She holds the record for most dismissals in women’s T20 international cricket (126).
As a symbol of her status in Australia, Healy was never defined by her relationships with her uncle, the great Australian wicketkeeper Ian, or her husband, paceman Mitchell Starc.
Healy has already announced his retirement from the T20 squad and will play his final match for Australia in February and March in three ODIs and one Test against India.
Women’s cricket has grown by leaps and bounds during Healy’s career, but her last match will be just her 11th in the game’s longest format, despite missing just two Tests for Australia since her debut in January 2011.
Healy, who took over as Australia’s full-time captain from Meg Lanning in 2023, famously led England to an historic 16-0 victory.
“Contributed to the promotion of women’s cricket”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led a memorial service following the announcement.
“Alyssa Healy is a true legend of Australian cricket. As a batsman, keeper and captain, she was one of the brightest stars of the golden era,” he said in a statement.
“Yet, Alyssa’s influence and example off the field has been significant in every way. She has helped promote and grow women’s cricket and inspired new generations in the process.”
She is considered perhaps the most devastating batsman in world cricket, and one of the best wicketkeepers.
Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg said: “Alyssa is one of the greatest players in the history of the game and has made an invaluable contribution on and off the field throughout her 15-year career.”
“On behalf of Australian cricket, I would like to thank Alyssa and congratulate her on an incredible career that has inspired so many and changed the game for the better.”
Tributes poured in on social media from cricket fans and experts alike.
Sports journalist Anesha Ghosh wrote: “[Healy]will go down as one of the greatest players of all time and one of women’s cricket’s most important ambassadors.”
Healy served briefly as a commentator and analyst in the recent men’s Ashes series. Her analysis and insight into the game quickly became popular among fans, and her expertise and clear speaking style on the game was praised.
Some fans continued to rate her as the best commentator of the series, ahead of some of men’s cricket’s greatest players and more experienced commentators.
