Australia captain Alyssa Healy to retire from all forms of cricket after India series: ‘Lost that competitive edge’

Australia captain Alyssa Healy will be retiring from international cricket following the conclusion of the multi-format series against India.

Australia captain Alyssa Healy on Tuesday announced that she will be retiring from international cricket following the upcoming multi-format series against India. The 35-year-old will end her career after having played almost 300 matches and scored more than 7,000 runs across the three formats of the game. As a wicketkeeper, she has 275 dismissals to her name following her debut for the national team 16 years ago in 2010.

Alyssa Healy to retire after the multi-format series against India. (AP)

For the longest time, Healy served as the vice-captain to Meg Lanning, and she finally took over as the skipper in 2023, leading Australia to a historic 16-0 whitewash of England.

She has been part of eight ICC World Cup titles won by Australia and holds numerous records, including the highest individual score in a World Cup Final and the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in T20 Internationals.

Healy was also the recipient of the 2019 Belinda Clark Award, and she was twice named the ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year. She was also a part of Australia's gold medal-winning team in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“It’s with mixed emotions that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia. 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," Healy said in an official Cricket Australia release.

“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," she added.

‘Incredible honour’

A founding Sydney Sixers player in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), Healy scored than 3,000 runs across 11 seasons of the tournament and was part of two title-winning sides. She was also part of a remarkable 11 Women’s National Cricket League titles with New South Wales.

“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," said Healy.

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg stated that the entire cricket body would aim to celebrate Healy's achievements during the series against India.

“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," he said.

“We look forward to celebrating her achievements throughout the series against India," he added.

India are scheduled to play three T20Is, three ODIs and a one-off Test against Australia. The series between the two teams will run from February 15 to March 9.